NHS England is expanding direct access to diagnostic scans across all GP practices, helping cut waiting times and speeding up a cancer diagnosis or all-clear for patients.
Every GP team will start to be able to directly order CT scans, ultrasounds or brain MRIs for patients with concerning symptoms, but who fall outside the NICE guideline threshold for an urgent suspected cancer referral.
Around one in five cancer cases are detected after routine testing following referral to a hospital specialist, meaning some people can wait much longer for a diagnosis.
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‘GPs are already referring record numbers of patients for urgent cancer referrals, so much so that the shortfall in people coming forward for cancer checks caused by the pandemic has now been eradicated,’ said NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard.
‘This new initiative builds on that progress, supporting GPs to provide more opportunities for testing across the country for people who have vague symptoms. By sending patients straight to testing, we can catch and treat more cancers at an earlier stage, helping us to deliver on our NHS Long Term plan’s ambitions to diagnose three-quarters of cancers at stages one or two when they are easier to treat.’
Hundreds of thousands of initial hospital appointments could also be freed up under the approach by reducing the need for a specialist consultation first – boosting efforts to address the COVID-19 backlog that have built up during the pandemic.
Under the Direct Access scheme, around 67,000 people who are usually diagnosed with cancer through non-urgent testing will now be eligible for fast-tracking – and can have a better chance of having their disease picked up at an earlier stage, when survival chances are higher.
‘GPs are already doing a good job of appropriately referring patients with suspected cancers. Despite the workload and workforce pressures they are facing, referrals by GPs into the rapid suspected cancer pathways are 20% above pre-pandemic levels. However, there will be patients who might not meet the criteria for rapid referral and have vague symptoms that could be cancer but are more likely to be less serious common conditions. In these situations, direct access to diagnostic services can be helpful,’ said Professor Martin Marshall, Chair of the Royal College of GPs.
‘GPs want to ensure timely diagnosis for their patients, so that those with cancer can receive the appropriate treatment, and those without can be reassured. This is why the College has long been calling for GPs to have better access to diagnostic testing in the community, and whilst the devil will be in the detail as to how it will work in practice, today’s announcement is a positive step.’