Hospital chief’s reassurance on cancer treatment in Sunderland
Eight urological cancer patients missed th eir target treatment times during the height o f the coronavirus crisis at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, according to new figures.
NHS England figures show that 30 of the 38 patients – 79% – started treatment within 62 days of an urgent GP referral in July
That was up from 78% in July 2019 but below the target of 85% of urological cancer patients – which includes those with prostate, bladder, kidney and penile cancers – being treated within that time limit.
For all cancers, the Trust began treatment for 85% patients within 62 days in July – above the national rate of 78%.
Dr Shaz Wahid, medical director at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust – which runs Sunderland Royal Hospital – said: “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we have continued to prioritise all urgent cancer treatments and I want to reassure everyone that the NHS is still very much here for people going through such life-changing illness.
"Anyone who is worried or concerned about symptoms of cancer should contact their GP straight away.
“Whilst the past few months have been extremely challenging for the Trust and the NHS as a whole, our priority has always been to provide safe, prompt treatment for
those who need it most, including carrying out thousands of cancer investigations and urgent treatments.
"85% of our cancer patients received their first treatment within the recommended 62 days in July. As a specialist centre for urology services, we see more patients than any other Trust in the region undergoing treatment for prostate, bladder, kidney and penile cancers andwhilst themajority of these patients received their care promptly, unfortunately there were eight patients in July who had to wait slightly longer than anticipated. We apologise to anyone whose care and treatment had been impacted over recent months. Our teams remain absolutely committed to ensuring that all of our patients receive high quality, safe care and we are extremely grateful for the support we have received throughout the pandemic.”
Prostate Cancer UK said it is critical that men most at risk of their cancer progressing are prioritised for treatment while NHS services work to restore their normal service.
As most men with early prostate cancer do not show symptoms, the charity is urging all men at higher risk of developing what is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK to contact their GP.
Karen Stalbow, head of policy at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “It’s good news that waiting times for urological referrals are beginning to recover.
“We know that clinicians now need to balance a man’s prostate cancer risk with his risk of contracting COVID-19. Cancer services are also operating at reduced capacity because of the need to socially distance patients.
"It is critical that men most at risk of their cancer progressing are treated as a priority while the NHS continues to work hard to restore their normal service."
An NHS spokeswoman said: “Hospitals have successfully treated nearly 38,000men for urological cancer since the beginning of the pandemic, and more people are now coming forward for a cancer check, with 100,000 extra referrals in July compared to April.”