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10
Dec 2019
One in four cancer patients experience avoidable delay to diagnosis
A new study by Cancer Research UK has revealed that a quarter of cancer patients experienced a delay to their diagnosis that could have been avoided.
The study, which looked at the data of around 14,300 people diagnosed with cancer in England in one year, found that nearly 3,400 patients experienced a delay that could have been avoided. 50 per cent of these patients waited around two months or longer to be diagnosed compared with those who didn’t have an avoidable delay.
The study found that long waiting times for tests were responsible for a quarter of all avoidable delays across hospitals and GP surgeries, which may be an indication of staffing shortages amongst diagnostic staff in hospitals.
Currnetly, there are one in ten diagnostic posts vacant in the UK and thousands more will be needed in the future. Over 363,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year in the UK and this is expected to increase to over 500,000 by the year 2035.
Cancer Research UK’s Ruth Swann, said “Understanding when patients are experiencing delays leading up to their cancer diagnosis is really important to ensure people aren’t waiting unnecessarily for a potential diagnosis. Our research shows there’s a good opportunity to significantly reduce delays by cutting the time it takes for patients to have tests done. We need more research to develop and evaluate new diagnostic tests for patients with vague symptoms and a better way to manage them.”
Chadwick Lawrence’s specialist team of clinical negligence lawyers have years of experience in medical negligence claims, providing support and guidance after life-changing events. Not only do we represent clients in Yorkshire, but because of our reputation we also represent clients nationally.
If you believe that you or a relative may have been injured as a result of clinical/medical negligence, please call for free legal advice from our medical negligence solicitors on the freephone number below.
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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