Key Sentence:
- It took more than a decade for the report to close the cancer treatment gap in the UK.
Research by the Institute from Public Policy Research shows Cancer that 19,500 people who should have been diagnosed were not due to missed recommendations. If hospitals could increase care by 5% compared to pre-pandemic levels, it would take 2033 to fill the gap. However, if 15% more can be completed, the delay can be replaced next year.
However, increased activity required more money Cancer for new equipment and more staff. And it all depends on them not asking for inspections and seeking help. Between March 2020 and February 2021, the number of referrals to specialists fell by nearly 370,000 compared to the previous year, down 15%.
Behind the figures are thousands of people who are now too late to cure their cancer, warns the CF Health Advisory Service. And he estimates that the proportion of cancers diagnosed, although still well-treatable — classified as stage one and two — has fallen from 44% before the pandemic to 41%.
“Creating Risk”
IPPR researcher Dr. Part Patel said: “The pandemic has seriously disrupted cancer care in the UK and undermined years of progress in increasing cancer survival rates. “Now the healthcare system is facing a huge supply backlog that threatens to disrupt services for more than a decade.
“We know that any delay threatens the patient’s chances of survival. “Closing the cancer care vacuum before the next general election seems unlikely given the current resources, staff and organization of the NHS.”