New NHS data published today, shows that in March the North West met the 28 day faster diagnosis target for cancer again, with more than 27,000 people (76.9%) referred or screened received a definitive diagnosis or the all clear within four weeks, exceeding the national ambition of 75%.

 

Thanks to the efforts of staff, over the last year (April 2023 – March 2024), more than 70,000 people in the North West have received a cancer diagnosis or the all clear from the NHS within one month.

 

Alongside ensuring patients get a timely diagnosis, the NHS has been focused on bringing down the covid backlog of patients waiting for diagnosis or treatment that inevitably built up over the pandemic.

 

At the end of the financial year, figures showed the North West’s number of 62-day waits for cancer was just under 2,000 (1,953), a reduction of 32% on the year before, the biggest change of any NHS region.

 

A rapid diagnosis service led by The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is just one of the schemes helping to drive down waits for cancer care in the North West.

 

When Karen Ryder from Liverpool found a lump in her stomach one morning, she knew something wasn’t right and contacted her GP straight away.

 

As the lump could have been a sign she had a hernia, Karen’s GP advised her to stick to light duties at work with no heavy lifting. They also referred her for a scan to check what was causing the lump.

 

Karen said: “When the scan results came back, my GP told me I had an enlarged spleen. It should have been about 13cm but it was 21cm – and they told me that could be a sign of blood cancer.”

 

Karen’s GP acted quickly and made an urgent referral for her to Liverpool’s Haematology rapid diagnosis service.

 

The service was set up to help people with suspected blood cancer to get the tests they need quickly and easily, as patients often need a number of tests, which previously would have taken several weeks.

 

Karen saw Dr Jeff Smith, a Consultant Haemato-Oncologist at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, just a few days later. He confirmed she had an enlarged spleen and ordered blood tests and a bone marrow biopsy to check if it could be blood cancer.

 

“I had my blood tests the same day that I saw Dr Smith,” says Karen, “and the bone marrow biopsy the next day. The results didn’t take long. Dr Smith explained I had a slow-growing blood cancer called splenic marginal zone lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”

 

Within a week, Karen was starting treatment at the Marina Dalglish Centre in Aintree – a specialist cancer treatment unit run by The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre so people can have their care closer to home.

 

Karen’s treatment worked well at tackling her cancer and her spleen is now back to its usual size. She went back to work in January and is now feeling great and looking forward to a well-deserved getaway with all her family.

 

“I’ve had the best treatment ever,” she says. “Everybody has been so good to me right the way through. It’s just amazing how quickly it all happened from feeling the lump to being diagnosed and starting treatment.”

 

Dr Michael Gregory, Regional Medical Director at NHS England – North West said: “Despite such a challenging couple of years, it’s fantastic to see how hard NHS staff in the North West have worked to bring down the waiting lists for those waiting for cancer treatment.

 

“A cancer diagnosis is a devastating for patients and their families, but we know that when cancer is diagnosed and treated at earlier stages, there is a better chance of success.

 

“There is still always more we can do, but numbers like this show we are moving in the right direction to deliver on cancer recovery plans.”

Elsewhere in the North West, innovative technology is being introduced to help manage the backlog of cancer patients awaiting treatment.

 

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS FT were the first trust in the UK to receive shipment and installation of Elekta Harmony linac, a radiotherapy machine designed to increase efficiency in the patient experience.

 

The Elekta Harmony uses smart technology in facial recognition and touch screens to reduce the time between patients, meaning clinicians can get through more appointments, and work through the backlog of patients awaiting treatment.

 

A further Elekta Harmony will be installed at the trust this summer, with the trust committed to driving the backlog down and giving patients the best experience through their treatment.

 

Across England, March saw the NHS deliver the highest number of urgent cancer appointments on record with more than 12,500 patients seen every day – more than a quarter of a million over the month (254,594). This is a third (33%) more referrals than the NHS was seeing before the pandemic – the equivalent of 3,000 more patients per day.

Cancer treatment activity was also at its highest ever level with over 1,400 patients starting cancer treatment every day.

 

Monthly performance updates also show continued efforts to treat those waiting the longest for routine treatment, despite significant demand for services across the NHS, and the ongoing work to catch up with appointments postponed during the record periods of industrial action.