GPs urged to send thousands more patients for scans in bid to diagnose cancer earlier
Thousands of people are set to be referred for more ultrasounds, brain MRIs and CT scans to check vague symptoms that fall outside of the current two-week cancer referral to see a specialist, in a bid to catch the disease at an earlier stage.
Presently, people who suffer from symptoms such as coughs, fatigue and dizziness face long waits for tests or to see hospital medics, which in turn delays them getting their first treatment.
The guidance, which has existed since 2012, is being pushed by the NHS so GPs and family doctors will be able to use their clinical judgement and help individuals skip the need to see a specialist first.
According to NHS England, waiting times could be cut to as little as four weeks, when a GP orders these checks directly. Hundreds of thousands of hospital appointments could then be freed up.
The 2012 guidance, Direct Access to Diagnostic Tests for Cancer, said chest X-rays, ultrasound, flexible sigmoidoscopy and brain MRI were “priority areas” to which GPs should have free access.
Now, NHS England is trying to standardise the approach so that regions which may not have access to all the tests can get them.
An investigation by GP online back in 2014 found local health leaders were preventing GPs from directly ordering the scans. It found that many clinical commissioning groups recommended GPs diverted patients through specialist services, with one in 10 putting a blanket refusal on GPs’ direct access to scans.
A patient is given a CT scan at the Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambridge back in 2021. Pic: PA
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard will tell the NHS Providers conference in Liverpool: “GPs are already referring record numbers of patients for urgent cancer referrals, so much so that the shortfall in people coming forward for cancer checks caused by the pandemic has now been eradicated.
“This new initiative builds on that progress, supporting GPs to provide more opportunities for testing across the country for people who have vague symptoms.
“By sending patients straight to testing, we can catch and treat more cancers at an earlier stage, helping us to deliver on our NHS long term plan’s ambitions to diagnose three-quarters of cancers at stages one or two when they are easier to treat.”
Back in 2018, the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust showed that patients with suspected lung cancer, who had direct access to CT scans, waited an average of 29 days instead of 66 between referral and treatment.
Referring patients directly for scans could help cut waiting times
Dr Katharine Halliday, president of the Royal College of Radiologists, said: “For a patient with cancer, every day counts. Quicker diagnosis means less invasive treatments, better recovery and better outcomes.”
Louise Ansari, national director of Healthwatch England, added: “This new initiative will give every GP practice in the country much greater flexibility in what tests and scans they can order for their patients. Ultimately, we hope this will help diagnose people who have cancer as early as possible, leading to better quality care and better long-term survival rates.”
GPs will be able to directly access wider tests used to diagnose conditions unrelated to cancer from 2023 to 2024.
A man has been arrested by police investigating a “significant” wildfire that triggered a major incident in Northern Ireland.
More than 100 firefighters and 15 fire appliances were deployed on Saturday to Sandbank Road, Hilltown, to tackle the blaze which is believed to have been caused deliberately, fire chiefs said.
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said the fire had a front of approximately two miles “including a large area of forestry close to property”.
It was extinguished at 2.53am on Sunday and the major incident status lifted, the NIFRS said.
“The cause of this fire is believed to have been deliberate,” chief fire and rescue officer Aidan Jennings said.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland said on Sunday that a 25-year-old man had been arrested “on suspicion of arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered, and non-related driving offences”.
“He remains in custody at this time as enquiries continue into the circumstances surrounding the fire,” the force added.
The wildfire on Sandbank Road, Hilltown. Pic: Sky Watch NI
More than 100 firefighters were at the scene of the fire. Pic: Sky Watch NI
Various fires erupted across England this week amid uncharacteristically warm and dry conditions for the time of year.
On Saturday, helicopters were deployed to tackle Scotland’s fourth wildfire this week, with police saying a blaze “which started in the Newton Stewart area has spread northwards and is expected to reach the Loch Doon area of East Ayrshire around 12am on Sunday”.
Police Scotland added: “As a precautionary measure members of the public are asked to avoid the Loch Doon area and anyone who may be camping in the area is advised to leave.”
Moors Valley Country Park blackened by fires this week
Elsewhere in England, Devon and Cornwall Police said they were assisting the fire service with temporary road closures on the A30 in the Bolventor area as they tackle “a number of fires” on moorland.
In Dorset, Moors Valley Country Park was forced to close after multiple wildfires broke out there on Wednesday.
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Wildfires spread across nature reserve
Separate incidents were then reported at Upton Heath in Poole on Wednesday, and nearby Canford Heath in the early hours of Thursday.
Friday was officially the warmest day of the year so far – with temperatures in the south of England reaching 23C (73.4F) – the highest since 21 September last year, according to the Met Office.
The weather conditions triggered a “severe” wildfire rating for parts of the UK on Tuesday.
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