2023-06-23 01:05:06
In England, 77.7% of people at high risk of having cancer were able to see a specialist within 14 days, according to April figures from the NHS, the national health service. The 93% target has not been met since May 2020.
Over the month, more than a million people were waiting to carry out screening tests. 24.9% of them had been waiting for six weeks or more and nearly 218,000 people (22%) were waiting for appointments for radiology services for six weeks or more.
“We were already operating beyond our capacity before the pandemic, explains Patricia Price, oncologist. These difficulties were linked to the period of austerity which followed the financial crisis of 2008. As a public service, we were affected and we tried to compensate by being super-performing. But since the pandemic, we can no longer cope. »
Shared services
“Shortages affect the entire chain of cancer care: the lack of general practitioners (GP, treating physicians), radiologists and pathologists leads to delays in screening, details Matt Sample, head of health policy at Cancer Research UK. Then the shortages of oncologists and health professionals delay the start of chemotherapy. »
While the NHS aims to start cancer treatment for 85% of patients within 62 days of urgent screening, only 61% of those affected have been able to start their care. “However, we know that for four weeks of delay, the mortality rate increases by 10%”, recalls Patricia Price.
The widespread backlog state of the NHS makes it difficult to reduce these waiting lists. The number of people awaiting treatment for all health conditions now stands at 7.3 million in the NHS for England.
“The services are shared, you have to use imaging, radiology and surgery tools for other patients who are also waiting to be treated, which has an impact on the care of people with cancer”, confirms Patricia Price.
According to Cancer UK, this delay problem is found in all four nations of the United Kingdom.
“We need actions to recruit, train and retain staff, poursuit Matt Sample. Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt had promised a funding plan to implement these actions last year but nothing has been presented. »
Relieve pain
To overcome this state of affairs, new sorting systems have been put in place. “Health services try to ensure that patients facing the most urgent situations are seen as quickly as possible, comments Matt Sample. Some patients may be referred to a specialist by a pharmacist rather than by their attending physician. »
But in the face of delays in treatment, treating physicians are also over-solicited by their patients who find themselves in very distressing situations.
“Patients who see their physical health deteriorating turn to us for treatment or help to obtain their care, explains Dr Amar Ahmed, GP in the Cheshire region of northern England. We try to find solutions outside the usual procedures, we try to organize investigations ourselves to move things forward. But when you’re waiting for an X-ray or chemotherapy, there’s nothing you can do except give pain-relieving treatments. »
Worst survival rate
Inevitably, the solicitations of patients awaiting treatment against cancer encroach on the time of traditional consultations in medical offices.
“We are working at 120% of the activity that was ours in pre-pandemic, says the doctor. As hospitals are not operating at their normal pace, primary care is picking up the surplus. However, we do 99% of all patient consultations every day but with less than 8% of the NHS budget. »
Patricia Price and Amar Ahmed agree that the situation must be treated as a full-fledged crisis for the government by appointing, for example, a person in charge of working to reduce these delays.
“We had a very effective campaign to fight coronavirus through vaccination in this country, now is the time to run a similar campaign in the face of the cancer care crisis, says Amar Ahmed. We are in an emergency that is impacting the chances of survival when the UK already has the worst cancer survival rates compared to other developed countries. »
For the most recent period of analysis (2010-2014), survival estimates in the UK are lower at 1 year and 5 years after screening, compared to other jurisdictions considered by the ICBP (International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership).
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