NHS in Shropshire failing on urgent cancer targets - latest figures
Shropshire's performance against key cancer targets is amongst the worst in the UK according to fresh NHS figures.
On the two-month waiting target from a first GP urgent referral to the first treatment, only 43 per cent of cases in the county were on track – around half of the government target of 85 per cent. The result is the fourth worst performance in the country.
On the two-week target from an urgent GP referral to a first consultant appointment only 66 per cent of cases met the criteria – some way short of the target of 93 per cent – the fifth worst performance in the county.
Other targets, for the one-month wait from decision to treat to first treatment saw 84 per cent of cases meet the target, while on the 28-day wait from urgent referral to a patient being told they have cancer or given the all-clear, 61 per cent of cases met the target.
All the figures are for May, the most recent month of data available.
In response to the latest figures county health bosses have said they are working to increase capacity to see more patients.
Nick White, chief medical officer for NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, pointed to the creation of the county's first Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC), as one of the means to improve the number of diagnostics tests carried out.
The new facility, located at Hortonwood House in Telford, is intended to boost diagnostic capacity across the county, and provide "quicker and more convenient access to important tests for conditions such as cancer, heart and lung disease".
The CDC is set to open in three phases, with phase one expected to open in the autumn. When fully operational, it will offer a range of services including CT, ultrasound, X-ray, MRI, ECG, echocardiograms, blood tests, lung functioning tests and basic sleep studies.
Mr White said: “We are working hard as a health and care system to improve our cancer waiting times and performance. We continue to put in place improvement measures across all cancer pathways and are working hard to increase capacity with the additional support provided by NHSE, West Midlands Cancer Alliance and our healthcare partners to reduce the backlog of patients awaiting treatment.
“This includes comprehensive demand and capacity modelling, ensuring patients are seen in order of clinical need, and increasing capacity and access to services.
“Later this year, the opening of Shropshire’s first Community Diagnostic Centre located in Telford will see elective diagnostic tests delivered away from the acute hospital sites and separately from urgent diagnostic scans.
“The CDC aims to increase capacity and access to diagnostics, reducing waiting times for non-urgent tests and the risk of cancellation, improving patient experience and outcomes. The CDC is expected to help us deliver improvements for our most challenged cancer pathways and diagnostic modalities.”
