Derbyshire hospitals give update for cancer patients following top doctor’s coronavirus ‘bottleneck’ concerns

During coronavirus lockdown the number of cancer and heart surgeries that have been going ahead has been reduced, following NHS guidance over the safety of having vulnerable patients travel to hospital for ‘non-urgent’ treatment.

However, as the pandemic persists, doctors are stressing the importance of resuming testing and treatment of new cancer and heart patients to ensure that there is not an unmanageable backlog by the time lockdown restrictions are lifted.

This comes as figures reveal a sharp drop in cancer referrals as patients are not contacting their GP for health advice, prompting concerns that potential new patients, many of whom may have symptoms of serious illness, are reluctant to get checks at hospitals due to fears they may catch coronavirus.

Professor Karol Sikora, a cancer specialist and dean at the University of Buckingham medical school, told BBC Breakfast "we've got to get going again" on cancer treatments in the health service to avoid a "catastrophe".

He said: "The NHS has done fantastically well with Covid, now we have to come out of Covid mode, maintaining it, because we don't quite know what's going to happen. But let's get started on two things that are critical: cancer services and heart services.

"The problem for cancer is going to be bottlenecks. The whole of April's new patients are going to meet May's new patients, and all those people are going to need chemotherapy, radiotherapy, other management downstream - and that's where logistical problems will come.

"We've got to get going again to avoid a catastrophe in a year or two's time when patients will suffer poor outcomes from their cancer because of delays."

In his coronavirus update on April 27, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the resumption of non-COVID treatments at the NHS was a priority.

NHS Hospitals in Derbyshire have echoed this sentiment, and said that plans to reintroduce the treatments and testing are underway.

A spokesman for NHS Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group said: “We’re working closely with colleagues across the Derbyshire system to prepare what our local approach to this will look like.

“National guidance is expected, and in the meantime we’re closely considering all the factors outlined by the Health and Social Care Secretary, regarding the level the virus is currently impacting on our different services and trusts, and ways we could start to reintroduce priority work.”

England’s top cancer doctor also sought to reassure all patients that it will be safe to get testing and treatment while the coronavirus pandemic is ongoing.

Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, said: “NHS staff have made huge efforts to deal with coronavirus but they are also working hard to ensure that patients can safely access essential services such as cancer checks and urgent surgery.

“We know that finding cancer early gives us the best chance to cure it, and ignoring potential problems can have serious consequences now or in the future.”

The NHS and a number of leading cancer charities have launched a campaign to encourage people to get cancer checks if they are concerned they have any symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lynda Thomas, Chief Executive at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “Macmillan wholeheartedly welcomes this NHS campaign encouraging people to contact their GP if they are experiencing the signs of cancer. We know that people are worried about the risk of infection from coronavirus and the pressure the NHS is already under.

“We urge you not to put it off, and don’t think you’re not a priority during coronavirus. Safeguard your own health and get any concerns checked out. Not diagnosing and treating many cancers fast makes treatment harder and can reduce the chance of survival.”