The Health Secretary has announced plans to allow individuals displaying signs of cancer to go for a scan without having to see a GP. Steve Barclay is working on proposals to combat waiting lists in the NHS, aiming to provide patients with specialist help more quickly. Currently, patients experiencing cancer symptoms typically visit their GP who then refers them to a specialist or for a scan. However, those with vague symptoms can face long waits for the necessary appointments and treatments. The Department of Health and Social Care is considering the possibility of patients going straight to an NHS diagnostic center. These changes are being implemented to optimize patient pathways and eliminate bottlenecks in the system of referral. These proposals are in line with recommendations from clinical experts and breast cancer is a leading contender for reform. As part of the plans, the NHS will merge its cancer targets, adopting three main targets to improve the speed of diagnosis and treatment. Previously, there were ten different measures to assess the performance of trusts. While campaigners have expressed concerns about the changes, the NHS believes they will benefit patients by providing faster diagnoses and increasing survival rates. The changes will also offer patients who have been on NHS waiting lists for more than nine months the option to choose from different hospitals to reduce their wait times. This new initiative could potentially benefit up to 200,000 patients. The decision to scrap the seven cancer targets has received backlash, but the new targets aim to ensure that 75% of patients receive a diagnosis or all-clear within 28 days, with a maximum wait of 31 days to start the first treatment. Additionally, there will be a 62-day target for treatment to begin after a GP referral. The Health Secretary also plans to empower patients by increasing patient choice, with an estimated 200,000 patients set to benefit from this initiative. The government is committed to reducing waiting lists and providing faster access to healthcare, though strikes within the health service have made the task more challenging. Latest figures show a significant increase in the number of people waiting for treatment, with England’s backlog for NHS procedures standing at 7.6 million. Approximately one in seven individuals across the country are currently awaiting care, with over 380,000 patients having gone a year without treatment.
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