Patients with signs of cancer ‘ shunning GPs’

MORE THAN half of GPs are concerned that older adults with potential cancer symptoms are staying away from surgeries, even though more people overall are now willing to take up appointments, a poll has found.

Some 53 per cent of GPs said they were worried that fewer older adults were contacting them with symptoms, compared with before the pandemic. This was followed by people with learning difficulties ( 40 per cent), those whose first language is not English ( 35 per cent), people from poorer backgrounds ( 23 per cent), ethnic minorities ( 22 per cent) and those with existing health conditions ( 21 per cent).

The poll for Cancer Research UK took place across several months up to September.

It found an improving picture when it came to people seeking help, with fewer GPs reporting reductions in the number of patients contacting them ( 62 per cent in June compared with 29 per cent in September).

Some 22 per cent in June said demand was slightly higher or significantly higher than before the pandemic, rising to 38 per cent in September.

But GPs said they still had concerns about certain groups coming forward. Age is the biggest risk factor for cancer and every year more than a third ( 36 per cent) of all cancer cases in the UK are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over.

Dr Richard Roope, Cancer Research UK’s GP adviser, said: “GP surgeries and hospitals are changing the way they do things to help keep patients and staff safe.

“People should be reassured that it’s safe to visit them.” Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, said yesterday: “People need to feel reassured that it’s safe to use the health services as we approach a second wave of the pandemic.”

She added: “Diagnosing cancer at an early stage when treatment is more likely to be successful is vital to ensure more people survive the disease.”

PICTURES: PETER BYRNE/ PA WIRE. NO RESPITE: Hospital staff battling a second wave of coronavirus have said they are exhausted and disheartened to see people ignoring the rules. But the medics at Whiston Hospital in Knowsley, a Merseyside borough which has seen some of the highest infection rates in the country, say they will “soldier on” as numbers of patients with the virus start to approach the levels they were at the peak of the pandemic. It comes as scientists are working 24- hour shifts to try to deliver Covid- 19 test results in as little as 90 minutes at the trust.