Call to check cancer staff every week

CANCER patients are being put at risk at specialist treatment centres due to a lack of testing, a leading charity warns.

Cancer Research UK has written to the Prime Minister urging him to improve the testing of NHS staff and patients massively.

The charity is particularly worried that doctors or nurses may be passing on the virus to patients when they are asymptomatic.

Earlier this month Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that between 70 and 80 per cent of those with Covid-19 had no symptoms.

Cancer patients are particularly vulnerable as their immune system is significantly weakened.

The charity says doctors and nurses working in specialist cancer centres should be tested at least once a week and patients should be checked whenever they come in for a diagnostic procedure, operation or appointment. In her letter to Boris Johnson, Cancer Research UK chief executive Michelle Mitchell says: ‘We are still worried that antigen testing is not happening at the pace and scale required.

‘If staff are unable to carry out cancer diagnosis and treatment in covid-protected environments and persuade patients it is safe to resume treatment, it will be difficult to restore services to pre-pandemic levels.’

Figures from Cancer Research UK revealed to the Mail earlier this month showed 2.4million patients were awaiting screening, diagnostic procedures or treatments as a result of the disruption to the NHS during the pandemic.

A Department of Health spokesman said: ‘All health and care staff are eligible for testing, including if they have no symptoms.’