Cancer referrals being turned down during pandemic

A quarter of GPs have said that urgent referrals for suspected cancer had been inappropriately turned down by hospitals more often than before the pandemic.

More than 1,000 GPs across the UK were surveyed last month and asked to compare how the past month had differed to before the coronavirus pandemic. The change is likely the result of a lack of capacity and reduced access to diagnostic tests within hospitals.

In some areas, cancer referrals dropped by 75 per cent at the peak of the pandemic, mainly because the public weren’t coming forward with symptoms and staying home to protect the NHS. However, the survey shows that referrals being rejected was also a problem, with the impact varying in different regions of the UK. Up to 40 per cent of GPs in some regions said they felt this was happening more regularly than before the pandemic.

On average, around 233,000 people with suspected cancer symptoms are urgently referred for further investigation each month across the UK, and an estimated 16,300 of these people would turn out to have cancer. Since the start of the lockdown, it’s estimated that there have been 300,000 fewer urgent suspected cancer referrals than normal.

Dr Richard Roope, a Cancer Research UK GP, said: “Waiting for further tests can be an extremely worrying time for patients. And in most cases, it won’t be cancer. But for those people who may be missing out on a potential cancer diagnosis, this is not OK. Those appointments that have been rejected need to be followed up.

“For patients with symptoms that are now thinking ‘what’s the point of getting it checked if nothing will be done?’ it’s important you still seek help, as it’s definitely better that your GP knows and can keep fighting your corner for you to be referred. Hospitals are now putting in secure systems to ensure that patients are followed up appropriately.”