20
Jul 2021
Medical images and rapid tests for same day diagnosis among NHS package of measures to get more people checked for cancer
It has been revealed that medical images and same day cancer tests will be rolled out across England in an effort to help with faster diagnosis.
NHS chiefs have pledged an additional £20 million into pilot schemes aimed at speeding up the diagnosis of cancer. One of the plans will see GPs or medical photographers taking images of patients’ moles – known as teledermatology, or a ‘skin snap’.
Patients suspected to have tumours will also be referred directly for MRI scans by nurses, instead of having to wait for an appointment with a consultant.
The news comes as health chiefs said that more work was needed to reduce the cancer ‘long waiters’ list. The pandemic has had a significant knock-on effect on cancer treatment in the UK, with top medics fearing the disruption will impact survival rates.
Under the ‘skin snap’ plans, patients who are suspected to have cancer from a consultant’s image analysis, will need an appointment and a biopsy within 28 days. The scheme is already used by NHS medics in Leeds, York and mid-Yorkshire.
Other plans include patients with suspected prostate cancer receiving a diagnosis on the same day as their scan and a cancer symptom hotline.
Dame Cally Palmer, NHS England’s national cancer director, said “The NHS has prioritised cancer treatment throughout the coronavirus pandemic and, alongside caring for 405,000 people with coronavirus in hospitals and delivering over 65 million vaccines, more than 350,000 people have also started treatment for cancer since it began.
“We know that some patients did not come forward but, thanks to the huge efforts of our staff, we’re seeing referral and treatment rates recover.
“From cancer symptom hotlines to skin snaps and rapid triage, NHS staff are once again going to great lengths to ensure that those who are coming forward for checks can continue to be seen quickly so that cancer can be caught at an earlier stage.”
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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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