Cancer referral wait time targets not met
WAITING time targets for people with suspected cancer in Northern Ireland have been missed again, with one cancer charity saying the Covid pandemic has had a “devastating impact” on services.
New figures show that in September last year, 368 patients started their first treatment following an urgent referral from their GP for suspected cancer. Of these, 60.3% (222 patients) started treatment within 62 days — ministerial targets state 95% of patients should start treatment within this timeframe.
This 60.3% figure compares with 58% (204 of the 352 patients) in August, 61.7% (219 of the 355 patients) in July and 48.2% (188 of the 390 patients) in September 2019.
Ministerial targets also state that at least 98% of patients diagnosed with cancer should receive their first definitive treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat. During September last year 875 people started treatment following a decision to treat, 95.1% (832) started treatment within the target time.
This is compared with compared with 94.8% (697 of the 735 patients) in August, 96.3% (758 of the 787 patients) in July and 91.4% (831 of the 909 patients) in September 2019.
Regarding patients with suspected breast cancer, 1,342 were seen by a specialist for a first assessment following an urgent referral from their GP during September 2020. Targets state that all such patients should be seen within 14 days — in September 81.9% (1,099) were seen within the target time.
This compares with 91.3% (948 of the 1,038 patients) in August, 95.8% (1,287 of the 1,344 patients) in July and 95.8% (1,173 of the 1,224 patients) in September 2019.
In September last year 2,042 new referrals for suspected breast cancer were received by specialists, compared to 1,599 in August, 1,758 in July and 2,087 in September 2019. Referrals can be for advice, assessment, or both. Of these, 1,493 (73.1%) were classed as urgent.
Kate Seymour, head of policy for Macmillan in Northern Ireland, said that, while the figures show an increase in the number of people being referred for cancer tests and starting treatment in September, many are lower when compared to last year and targets are still not being met.
“The reality is that many people are still missing cancer diagnoses as a result of the disruption caused by the coronavirus, and we urgently need to see activity rising above 2019 levels in order to start clearing the backlog of both diagnoses and treatment,” she said.
“The pandemic has had a devastating impact on cancer services with the cancellation and delay of vital appointments, surgeries and treatments, alongside the reduction in people presenting with symptoms.”
Margaret Carr, Cancer Research UK’S NI public affairs manager, said the backlog of patients waiting for test that could identify cancer has been building since March and it’s “hard to see” how this can be rectified unless staff shortages are addressed.
“Chronic underfunding of kit, like scanners and endoscopy equipment, is also partly to blame for the lack of resilience to the pandemic within our health services,” she added.
“Both these issues need urgently addressed if patients are to receive speedier access to diagnostic tests and treatment.”