Hospitals slammed over long wait for cancer tests
A CANCER charity has hit out at hospital bosses in Manchester after it was revealed that a quarter of patients are waiting too long for tests to diagnose bowel cancer.
Figures released last week by NHS England found that 25 per cent of patients at Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CMFT), which runs Manchester Royal Infirmary, were waiting longer than six weeks for a colonoscopy, making it one of the worst performing trusts in the north of the country.
According to the NHS, less than 1pc of patients should exceed this wait, yet at CMFT, 131 out of 522 people had done.
A colonoscopy is one of two key tests used by specialists to diagnose bowel cancer at its earliest stage – tests known as endoscopy procedures. The second is called a flexible sigmoidoscopy, which is a camera on a thin, flexible cable inserted to look at different parts of the bowel.
Data showed that of the 384 patients on the list for this procedure, 5.2 per cent had also waited longer than the expected time frame. Overall in the north of England and Yorkshire and the Humber, 34 hospitals failed to meet the target.
Bowel Cancer UK claims the figures are ‘further evidence’ that many hospitals are at breaking point because they simply do not have the capacity to meet the growing demand for these services. A lack of funding, limited resources and a shortage of staff to carry out the number of procedures needed are contributing to this.
Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer, despite being treatable and curable, especially if diagnosed early. More than nine in 10 (98pc) will survive for five years or more if they are diagnosed at the first stage but currently only 15pc actually are.
Asha Kaur, head of policy and campaigns at Bowel Cancer UK, said: “These waiting time figures present a worrying picture for patients and demonstrates the urgent need for the government to make addressing this crisis a national priority. If hospitals are expected to meet waiting time targets then they must be given the resources and capacity to enable them to meet these standards.”
A spokesman for CMFT said: “Our teams are working hard to reduce waiting times for referrals to our service.” They added: “We have increased levels of staffing and introduced an enhanced training programme, enabling our team to carry out more procedures, as well as adapt to the changing needs of our patients and increasing demand on the service.”