‘Unrelenting pressure’ on NHS troubling for cancer patients

Workforce pressures in the NHS are affecting the care being delivered to cancer patients, new report warns.

Bigger workloads, complex patient needs, and vacancies in key roles are creating ‘unrelenting pressure’ on cancer care staff, the report, From the Frontline, by Macmillan Cancer Support says.

A survey of over 250 GPs and nurses working in primary care across the UK, undertaken by nfpSynergy for Macmillan, found that 52 per cent are not confident the NHS workforce can provide adequate care to cancer patients because of the pressures it faces.

It also found that 37 per cent of GPs and nurses said that existing workforce pressures meant some cancer patients are attending A&E because they can’t get help from anywhere else, 44 per cent of those GPs and nurses said pressures meant cancer patients were not always treated as early as they should be, and 31 per cent said cancer patients do not have the support they need to regain a good quality of life after treatment because of pressures on the NHS.

The issues most commonly reported in the research by over 50 Macmillan GPs were increasing numbers of patients, gaps and vacancies in key roles, and the increasing complexity of cancer.

The findings come after figures released by NHS Digital showed that vacancies in the NHS rose by 15.8 per cent over the past year, while the Nursing and Midwifery Council reported that more nurses and midwives are leaving the NHS than there are joining it.

Macmillan is urging government to address these pressures and set out an ambitious vision to ensure the NHS workforce is equipped to meet future cancer challenges.

Lynda Thomas, chief executive at Macmillan Cancer Support, says: “The story of NHS cancer care in 2017 so far is one of unrelenting pressure, and it is now clear that many hardworking doctors and nurses are seriously concerned about how the health service is coping with the pressures placed on it. Attending A&E because they can’t get help elsewhere or waiting too long for treatment should be a rare event for someone being treated for cancer, but this research suggests this could be becoming worryingly routine.

“It is great news that more people are surviving cancer than ever before, but there is no escaping the fact that demand for cancer services will only increase as more people are diagnosed in the years to come. The NHS aspires to deliver world class cancer care for patients, but this will not happen without enough staff with the right skills. There is an urgent need to address these pressures and set out a renewed vision for the cancer workforce to ensure it is equipped to meet future challenges.”

Responding to the report, Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “GPs and our teams can certainly empathise with some of the concerns highlighted by our colleagues at Macmillan today. None of us are strangers to intense workload and workforce pressures facing general practice across the country – and the potential impact this has on our patients.

“But it is testament to the hard work and dedication of GPs and our teams that we do everything we can not to let these challenges compromise the care we deliver to our patients, particularly those with serious conditions, including cancer.

“GPs are doing a good job of identifying and treating our patients with cancer – 75 per cent of patients found to have cancer are referred after only one or two GP consultations despite many early stage cancers presenting in vague ways. And in the last five years the proportion of cancers diagnosed as an emergency has dropped from 25 per cent to 20 per cent.

“Today’s figures should be a wake-up call that it isn’t just GPs highlighting the pressures facing our profession – but charities and patients too.

“We desperately need the pledges made in NHS England’s GP Forward View – including £2.4 billion extra a year for general practice and 5,000 more GPs - to be delivered in full and as a matter of urgency. But we also need better access to new and improved diagnostic tools that can help GPs identify cancers that are more difficult to spot.

“Cancer is an enduring priority for the College, and we have worked with Cancer Research UK and Macmillan to develop resources to support GPs and our teams to deliver the care our patients with cancer need and deserve, at every stage of their illness.”