Cancer sufferer told to go 150 miles away
BY JAMIE LOPEZ
AWEST Lancashire vicar suffering from prostate cancer was turned away from The Christie Hospital and asked to visit another facility more than 150 miles away.
Rev Christopher Dunbar was told he urgently needed a scan to track if his cancer was spreading and became concerned at the long wait he was facing.
His GP referred him to the Christie Hospital in Greater Manchester but the hospital said it could not accept urgent referrals from outside its area.
Instead, they advised his healthcare team to contact St Thomas Hospital in London which would have involved a nine hour round trip.
The reverend contacted West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper to ask for assistance and she was left angered by the ordeal he faced.
Ms Cooper, who is a member of the Health and Social Care Committee, said: “This is just further proof that we have lost the ‘National’ in National Health Service.
“My constituent, Reverend Dunbar, was told he needed an urgent scan to track his prostate cancer. After waiting weeks, he asked to be referred to the Christie because he was told they could offer him a scan sooner. It is unbelievable that The Christie turned him away simply because he doesn’t live in Greater Manchester.
“We should be offering appointments based on urgency and need, not geography.
“I find it disgraceful that the NHS has descended into protectionist kingdoms where each area looks after their own.
“The Christie also suggested he try to get a referral to a Hospital in London instead! Surely, they realise how ridiculous that suggestion is, as London is 150 miles further for my constituent to travel.
“Thankfully, my constituent has now received his scan, but I will be continuing to raise this with the Department for Health and the NHS to ensure everyone can get the care they need, no matter where they live!”
Eventually, Christopher was able to get an appointment at a hospital in Liverpool but Ms Cooper has gone on to raise the matter with regional NHS bosses and the Health Secretary, asking “why all NHS patients aren’t treated equally, and why there is a growing postcode lottery when it comes to health care”.
A spokesperson for The Christie, said: “There are ongoing challenges around production and supply of the radio-isotope for the highly specialised F18 prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET CT scan resulting in delays of up to six weeks. The PMSA PET-CT scan is not currently NICE approved and is not offered as routine standard of care. It is only available in a small number of specialist centres.
“Patients referred for this investigation by Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust would normally have it in Liverpool, but that site was experiencing delays due to the same radio-isotope supply issue.
“That same supply issue meant The Christie was unable to offer an urgent appointment to this patient. We instead advised the clinical team at Ormskirk Hospital to contact St Thomas’ Hospital, London to see if they could accommodate an earlier appointment.
“It is extremely unusual that we would advise a referral to London for patients from the North West, but is occasionally unavoidable for highly specialist tests and treatments with limited availability.
“Shortly afterwards the patient was offered the investigation in Liverpool. The Christie continues to treat many patients from beyond Greater Manchester, with around 25% of patients coming from outside the area.”