New fast-track centres where patients can get several tests for different cancers in one visit are being pledged by the Scottish government as part of a plan to get services back on track after the pandemic.

Currently people who have general symptoms that could apply to more than one cancer – such as fatigue or weight loss – have to attend multiple appointments for checks.

At least two centres will go live in spring 2021, with the eventual goal of one in each of the three cancer regional networks in Scotland.

The cancer recovery plan promises a more consistent approach to treatment across Scotland and pledges innovations that have started in the pandemic will continue.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said the strategy, if approved by MSPs, would be backed up by £17m of extra funding.

However, Cancer Research UK said the plan failed to address some of the “biggest challenges” facing the health service, including serious staff shortages.

A range of commitments have been promised in the detailed document published today.

One patient quoted in the report said they felt ‘forgotten’ after they were discharged – a situation the government hopes to remedy through a pledge to give patients a single named point of contact to help them deal with what could be a ‘constantly evolving’ system during the virus.

The pandemic has had a major effect on diagnostic services, with key tests such as endoscopies being paused at the start of the crisis and large numbers of patients facing long waits as a result.

The new early cancer diagnostic centres promised in the report will mean people with suspicious symptoms that could point to several cancers can be assessed and tested by a team of specialists in one visit.

At the start of the pandemic oncologists were given the option of changing chemotherapy treatment regimes and using medicines normally deemed too expensive, after experts warned the outbreak had “shifted the balance of benefit to risk” for patients who had been coming in to hospital to receive chemotherapy.

New guidelines were released last month to streamline the process for consent, given that many conversations about treatment would be happening remotely. 

These changes, which allowed patients to take their treatment at home and avoid the risks that come with going into hospital, will be continued ‘where safe and appropriate’.

Pharmacists and nurses in cancer teams could also be given more scope to prescribe chemotherapy drugs.

Cancer Research UK said the plan was missing detail of how to fix long-standing staff shortages in key areas of the health service.

Marion O’Neill, Cancer Research UK’s senior external affairs spokesperson in Scotland, said: “Waiting lists are growing and many patients have faced disruption to their treatment.

“While there are some welcome commitments here, including plans to set up one stop shops for cancer diagnosis, it isn’t clear how some of the biggest challenges facing cancer services today will be tackled.

“What we don’t see here is how to address the acute staff shortages that existed even before the pandemic struck.

“We know that when cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, treatment is more likely to be successful and so efficient access to cancer services can be lifesaving.

“Now is the time for the Scottish government to invest in the cancer workforce, so they can deliver on the most impactful aspects of this plan and ensure cancer patients don’t wait too long.”

 

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