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07
Jan 2020
Charity warns of reluctance of cancer patients to ask NHS staff questions because they are ‘too busy’
Macmillan Cancer Support has warned that cancer patients are increasingly feeling they cannot ask questions to overstretched NHS staff caring for them.
The charity reported that they had received 240,000 inquiries to its support line in 2019, many patients calling in distress feeling they are unable to ask questions of doctors and nurses, some being at ‘breaking point’ because there are not enough NHS staff to meet the needs of cancer patients.
Lynda Thomas, chief executive of Macmillan said “We’re incredibly proud of the service our support line provides.
“But it’s heart-rending that so many people call at breaking point having struggled to find the support they need from their healthcare team who we now are run-ragged and doing the best they can.
“The newly-formed government must urgently deliver on its promises to prioritise a fully-funded plan for our NHS workforce so that everyone living with cancer can receive the very best care and support they need.”
Ellen Lang, a service manager on Macmillan’s support line, said “When you only have ten minutes with your doctor and your nurse is visibly rushed off their feet, it’s inevitable that you’ll leave without all the answers you need.”
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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
Freephone : 0800 304 738
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