A Scottish Government advisory group was warned by doctors that shortages of tests for covid-19 could hinder cancer care.

Clinicians reported fears through March that “not widely enough testing patients, and staff” could affect services, according to minutes for meetings of the Cancer Treatment Response Group.

In particular, they said all cancer patients should be tested to reduce the risk of someone who has the virus undergoing treatment.

Testing for staff, so that cancer teams would not have to self-isolate unnecessarily if one family member developed symptoms, was flagged as a “priority” in a meeting on the 18^th March.

The Scottish Government said it is on course to increase testing capacity to 12,000 a day by mid-May, following concerns about a shortfall of tests since the start of the crisis.

A spokesperson said NHS boards have the ability to test patients more widely where it is clinically appropriate.

Cancer Research UK has called for more testing among NHS cancer teams to “maximise the likelihood of a safe clinical environment” where treatment can go ahead. Patients with the disease are particularly vulnerable to covid-19.

Meanwhile leading surgeon Professor Michael Griffin has urged the NHS to set up more covid-free cancer hubs, protected by rigorous testing and screening of patients and staff.

Documents obtained healthandcare.scot also reveal senior doctors asked the advisory group for their junior medical colleagues to be redeployed to cancer services to minimise any disruption.

Representatives from the Scottish Government and NHS cancer leaders sit on the group, which published guidelines at the end of March recommending cancer surgery should be delayed where possible.  

A subsequent update detailed options for changes to treatment courses because the virus had changed the “balance of benefit to risk” for chemotherapy patients. 

The meeting records reveal doctors flagged up concerns about asymptomatic patients who do not know they have the virus undergoing radiotherapy, risking themselves and even potentially spreading the virus to other patients using the radiotherapy equipment.

Another concern is that cancer patients could potentially carry the virus for longer than people without the disease.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “These minutes reflect discussions around what was, and continues to be, a very fast-moving evidence base and all decision making has been led by the latest available evidence.

“We have been clear that vital cancer treatments and emergency, maternity and urgent care will continue where that is clinically agreed.

“The national COVID-19 Cancer Treatment Response Group has agreed a national approach to the management of individual patients who require cancer treatment. COVID-19 is a significant new risk in relation to cancer treatment and patients may also be offered different types of appointments and may - in discussion with their clinical teams - be offered alternative or delayed treatment plans.

“NHS Boards already have discretion to use available testing capacity if considered clinically appropriate as part of patient care and we are also committed to priority testing for key workers and family members, enabling a safe return to work.

“Capacity continues to be scaled up as we move to a test, trace, isolate, support approach and we now have active weekday NHS lab capacity for 4,350 tests a day, and 4,000 from the Glasgow Lighthouse Laboratory, providing overall normal maximum daily capacity for analysing coronavirus tests of 8,350. This figure will reach 12,000 by the middle of May.”

 

Sign up to our bulletin sent twice a week so you don’t miss out on the latest health and social care news.