Far too often we see cases of delays in cancer diagnosis and sadly, the consequences are very often heart breaking and frightening for clients and their families. Although it can sometimes be difficult and challenging for GPs to make a correct referral and diagnosis due to the signs of cancer often being very subtle, an early diagnosis followed by prompt treatment results in a patient being given the highest chance of survival.
The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has stated that the UK is lagging behind other western European countries in cancer survival rates and the new plans and measures would help close the gap. The plans announced and recommended recently by the Independent Cancer Taskforce to implement a 4 week diagnosis are therefore great news for patients across the country and could save 11,000 lives a year.
The National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative from Cancer Awareness UK aims to promote earlier diagnosis of cancer, increase access to optimal treatment and thereby reduce cancer mortality. The plans propose to implement these aims and thereby improve the survival rate of cancer patients.
But are these plans realistic? Ensuring that a diagnosis or the all clear is given to all NHS patients within 4 weeks will inevitably require more cancer consultants, specialist nurses, staff trained in endoscopies and diagnostic tests. Macmillan Cancer Support have responded by stating that “we desperately need to see continued action from the government and the NHS to ensure that all the recommendations laid out in the recently published Cancer Strategy for England are fully funded and implemented.”
The plans are to be welcomed but, although healthcare professionals and experts have praised the recommendations as good news, there also needs to be more of an emphasis on recognising the symptoms of cancer. Educating the public to ensure that symptoms of cancer are recognised early will ensure that patients are attending their GP as early as possible, therefore allowing an earlier diagnosis and provision of treatment to increase survival rates. Be Clear on Cancer is a cancer awareness campaign led by Public Health England, working in partnership with the Department of Health and NHS England and to find out more about what symptoms to look for, visit www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/
If you or a family member has suffered as a result of delayed cancer diagnosis and would like advice, please call 0114 218 4000 for a no obligation chat with a member of our clinical negligence team or email info@tayloremmet.co.uk for free, quick and honest advice.
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