Cancer: High Street Pharmacists Will be Funded to Make Referrals

Rather than having to wait to see their GP, people who have symptoms such as a worrying cough, problems swallowing or blood in their urine will soon be able to be referred for scans and checks by a pharmacist.

This is part of a new pilot scheme in England which is aimed at diagnosing more cancers early where the chances of a cure are high.

Additionally, the NHS will also send out more “roaming trucks” to perform on-the-spot scans in the community. Currently, there is an increase in the number of people having checks since lung scanner vans were driven to certain locations including supermarket car parks and football stadiums.

There are also plans to have some liver lorries join them.

Statistics show that about 6,100 people are diagnosed with liver cancer each year and the number is expected to keep rising even as it has doubled over the last 10 years.

The NHS plans to increase the number of cancers diagnosed early to at least three-quarters from its current half number.

The NHS also plans to offer Jewish people genetic screening – as up to one in 40 has BRCA mutations, which is linked to a higher risk of breast, ovarian and prostate cancers, as compared to one in 400 in the general population.

During the NHS ConfedExpo conference, in Liverpool, NHS England boss Amanda Pritchard said; “We want to make it as easy as possible for those most at risk to get vital, lifesaving tests.

“These plans have the power to truly transform the way we find and treat cancer – and ultimately spare thousands of patients and their families from avoidable pain and loss.”

The CQC also said that not only were not all of those incidents reported as serious, action plans were not taken as urgently as the situation required and one patient’s life saving surgery was delayed as there was no hysterectomy kit in that part of the hospital.

‘Working Tirelessly’

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Ensuring patients can access diagnosis and treatment easily in their communities and on High Streets is a fundamental part of our 10-Year Cancer Plan.”

Dr Anthony Cunliffe, national clinical adviser for primary care, at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “Doctors and nurses are working tirelessly to diagnose and treat the tens of thousands of people entering a very busy cancer care system.

“This pilot will give people the opportunity to access more trained professionals in their community to get symptoms investigated.”

Michelle Mitchell, from Cancer Research UK, said: “By changing the way people engage with the health service, we have the potential to help diagnose more cancers at an earlier, more treatable stage.

“We look forward to seeing how these efforts will support the NHS’s ambitious early diagnosis targets.”

Misdiagnosis doesn’t only refer to when there is a wrong diagnosis but also when the right diagnosis is delayed (late diagnosis). When this happens, it puts the patient’s life in jeopardy and reduces the chances of survival; some do not survive at all.

In some other cases, the procedures to be carried out to save the life of the patient will be more serious than it would have been.

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During our free consultation sessions, we discuss with our clients, listen to their story and make a thorough evaluation of the whole situation to be sure if they have a claim and if they do, we will proceed to even help gather as much information and documents as will be needed to successfully win the case and get them a deserving settlement payout.

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