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Cancer screening services could take 12 weeks to restart


By Alan Hendry

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A north MSP has been told that cancer screening services could take 12 weeks to restart prior to a decision to reopen the service.

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP David Stewart wrote to NHS Highland’s chief executive Paul Hawkins on behalf of a health professional concerned that patients were not receiving access to screening.

Mr Stewart said that during the Covid-19 pandemic there had rightly been a focus on the need to protect the most vulnerable from catching the virus and on saving lives.

“Cancer, however, hasn’t gone away and remains Scotland’s biggest killer,” Mr Stewart said.

“I want to see non-Covid-19 services restored with clear strategies for how patients will be protected and how the backlog of demand will be addressed. Providing cancer services must be an absolute priority.

“Scottish Labour supports Cancer Research UK’s campaign for Covid-19-free safe spaces for cancer services and the Scottish Government must work constructively with health boards to achieve this within the existing NHS estate, while also ensuring staffing can be maintained at appropriate levels.

David Stewart says providing cancer services 'must be an absolute priority'.
David Stewart says providing cancer services 'must be an absolute priority'.

“As lockdown is eased we cannot return to business as usual. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the NHS was already in crisis due to long waiting times, resource pressures and unsustainable vacancy levels.

“In the meantime, I echo the health authority’s plea for anyone having worrying symptoms to contact their GP.”

Mr Hawkins told the MSP that National Services Scotland (NSS) – which delivers services critical to frontline patient care to support NHS Scotland – paused breast, bowel and cervical screening programmes on March 30 due to Covid-19.

NSS was consulting with national and local officials to assess how these services could safely recommence, and this included looking at the risks, patients’ willingness to attend and infection, prevention and control measures.

Mr Hawkins said: “In the case of breast screening, for example, decisions will also need to be made regarding the scheduling of women to be invited, e.g. whether to start from where the pause was implemented, or restart the programme where the service should have been screening if no pause was implemented.

“The issues are therefore significant and complex with NSS colleagues currently advising that a 12-week period prior to any restart will potentially be required.”

NHS Highland is advising patients to attend their GPs should they have any worrying symptoms and in recent weeks the number of referrals being received by GPs has been very close to the number being seen before the coronavirus outbreak.


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