What the NHS Trust said...
A spokesperson for LPT and the area’s clinical commissioning groups said: “We are concerned to hear that any patients are experiencing anxiety about the future of their care.
“We want to reassure them that the CCGs and LPT are working together to improve specialist mental health support and care for patients, including cancer patients.
“A successful funding bid, led by commissioners, has enabled us to invest in a 24-hour NICErecommended acute mental health liaison service which brings together and enhances our mental health triage team, acute liaison psychiatry, psychooncology and frail older persons’ mental health services based in Leicester’s hospitals.
“This new service, originally due to launch in April but delayed by Covid-19, is expected to be operational by spring 2021 and will improve the quality of care and response times for people with the most urgent mental health needs; it will offer a one-hour response for referrals of A and E patients and a 24-hour response for patients referred from physical health wards.”
The statement said that a new “cancer referral pathway” will be piloted in September.
“The Macmillan cancer nurse service based at UHL and the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service provider are working together to pilot a new cancer referral pathway.
“This will allow the Macmillan cancer nurse specialist staff to refer patients directly into weekly clinic assessment slots. This will reduce waiting times for assessment and treatment.
“The pilot was due to start in March 2020, but has been delayed due to the pandemic lockdown. It is now due to commence in early September 2020,” the trust said.
The spokesperson added: “We are engaging with patient representatives on the changes and reviewing care and treatment plans to ensure everyone is supported through the transition, and are writing to patients who will be affected by the change.
“It is part of our shared commitment to ensure patients with long-term conditions and diagnoses like cancer have a better range of service options open to them from staff with specialist skills.”