Fortnightly cancer screenings were missed by half of NHS trusts in England every month last year, figures show | Politics news

Almost half of all NHS trusts in England failed to carry out the vital fortnightly cancer check every month last year, new figures have revealed.

NHS goals state that 93% of patients should have an appointment before a cancer a specialist within two weeks after an urgent referral to a therapist.

But new research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats found that this target was not met by 63 out of 132 (48%) NHS trusts in England every month of 2022.

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Analysis of figures provided by the House of Commons Library also revealed that only five NHS trusts, less than 4% of the total, met the target in every month of last year.

Despite trusts being at their worst in December 2022, less than half of patients were seen within the two-week target following an urgent referral to a GP.

The worst was Bristol and Weston University Hospital, where only 42% of patients were seen within two weeks.

Followed by Whittington Health (45%), Liverpool University Hospitals (48%) and North West England (49%).

The fortnightly appointment system was introduced to ensure that anyone with symptoms that may indicate cancer can see a specialist as soon as possible.

The NHS website says attending this fortnightly appointment is vital and will allow a person with symptoms to benefit from early reassurance that the cancer has not been diagnosed, or early diagnosis and early access to treatment.

The Liberal Democrats warned that the targets were “regularly missed” and said new research had revealed “shocking gaps in cancer treatment”.

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The party’s health spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said: “It is a national scandal that important targets are regularly being missed, leaving many people anxiously awaiting a cancer diagnosis.

“It shows that there are shocking gaps in cancer treatment depending on where you live in the country.

“The data show how critical early diagnosis can be. The government must take control of this crisis so that cancer patients receive the immediate care they need to give them the best chance of survival.

“This must start with a proper recruitment plan for the NHS, which is so desperately in need of healthcare.”

It became known in December a record number of people with suspected cancer are being referred by general practitioners to specialists – but the NHS has been unable to keep up with increased demand.

In the year to April 2022, more than two and a half million people in England will be referred for suspected cancer, 300,000 more than the previous record set two years ago and more than double the number 10 years ago.

But the number of investigative tests, which usually confirm or deny a cancer diagnosis, has dropped to pre-pandemic levels and in some cases to the lowest since records began in 2009.

NHS figures published in November showed that in September more than one in four people had to wait more than two weeks to see a cancer specialist after an urgent GP referral – almost four times the NHS target.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “The latest NHS figures show that a higher percentage of people with suspected cancer were seen during the 2-week waiting period in December compared to November.

“We are working to reduce the 62-day cancer backlog, which according to the latest published figures has fallen by 9% since peaking in 2020, but we know there is more to do.

“We are determined to reduce the time between cancer referral and consultation and have opened 92 community diagnostic centers that have carried out more than 3 million scans and tests, including for the earliest possible detection of cancer.”