Major cancer treatment overhaul: GPs will have more power to book scans directly for cancer in an effort to combat the disease as early as possible

GPS will be able to book cancer scans directly through the NHS, which is a step to improve early diagnosis.

The initiative will catch tens of thousands more tumours earlier.

The scheme should slash delays for the 67,000 sufferers a year who have just vague symptoms

2

This scheme will reduce delays for 67,000 people who only have vague symptoms.Credit: Getty
NHS England CEO Amanda Pritchard encourages the idea of early testing to catch cancers

2

Amanda Pritchard, CEO of NHS England, encourages early testing to catch cancers.Credit: PA

It should reduce the delays faced by 67,000 patients a year with vague symptoms, such as tiredness and tummy aches.

They are responsible for about one fifth of all cancers. However, GPs no longer have to send them to a specialist before ordering tests.

Amanda Pritchard, CEO of NHS England, will speak at an NHS conference today. “By sending patients straight to testing, we can catch and treat more cancers at an earlier stage.”

According to Health officials, the programme will also reduce the number of hospital visits by hundreds of thousands.

Many non-urgent cases will be false alarms — but the NHS finds 67,000 out of 289,000 cancers this way each year.

The wait times for MRI, CT, and ultrasound scans can be reduced by up to four weeks with fast-tracking technology.

By 2028 the NHS wants to diagnose three quarters of cancers at stages one and two, before they have spread — clinics currently manage just over half.

Prof Martin Marshall of the Royal College of GPs stated: “It can be helpful for patients who might not meet the criteria for rapid referral and have vague symptoms that could be cancer.”

Kruti Shriri, Cancer Research UK added: “Cancer that is diagnosed and treated at an early stage is more likely to be treated successfully, so we welcome this announcement.”

Latest News

Related Articles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here