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News Article
‘I developed ovarian cancer after my symptoms were dismissed as menopause’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A woman has said her ovarian cancer diagnosis was delayed after her symptoms were wrongly dismissed as menopause or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) – accusing her doctor of misogyny and medically gaslighting her. Sbba Siddique, a 55-year-old business owner, told The Independent that “unconscious bias and cultural incompetence” were also to blame for her delayed diagnosis. Ms Siddique, who lives in Berkshire, said she began to feel unwell around October 2021 but did not get diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer until March the following year. “I was feeling really tired all the time. I had no energy. I was piling on weight that wasn’t there previously despite not changing my eating habits. I was needing to wee more,” the mother of three recalled. “I was going back and forth with my GP trying to get an appointment. I couldn’t get a face-to-face – every consultation was on the phone or via online forms. That was part of the problem of the misdiagnosis.” Her GP was “very dismissive” of her symptoms and attributed them to IBS or the menopause, she added. “At the end of the day, I’m not the expert, the GP is – I believed him,” she said. Read full story Source: The Independent, 14 July 2024 -
News Article
DIY kits may see million more cervical-cancer tests
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
More than one million extra women could have life-saving cervical-cancer checks if the NHS adopted do-it-yourself testing, researchers estimate. The team at King’s College London said the results of its self-testing trial were “fantastic” and “gave power to women”. The kits are like a Covid swab but longer and are posted to a lab for analysis. The NHS called the findings extremely positive and is assessing whether to roll out the scheme. There are more than 3,000 new cases of cervical cancer in the UK each year. “Cervical cancer screening has been in decline for the last 20 years,” a senior consultant on the trial, Mairead Lyons, said. "Many women will describe it as an uncomfortable experience [or they are] too busy, embarrassed or afraid of the physical experience of it." NHS England screening and vaccination director Deborah Tomalin called the trial results “extremely promising”. “The NHS will now be working with the UK National Screening Committee to consider the feasibility of rolling this out more widely across England,” she said. Read full story Source: BBC News, 17 July 2024 -
News Article
Paralysed woman inspires mammogram robot
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A woman who is paralysed from the chest down is helping scientists in York develop a robot so people with mobility issues can receive breast screening. Jane Hudson, 53, from Harrogate, was unable to get an accurate mammogram because she could not get into the right position for the X-ray machine. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months later. Scientists at the University of York have now started working on a prototype robotic arm system which will support the patient's upper body weight. Ms Hudson said: "I've faced many difficulties and challenges in the wheelchair and you do sometimes feel like you don't get listened to, so for something positive to come out of this is great." Ms Hudson was invited for a mammogram at York Hospital because it was accessible but she was unable to position herself correctly in the machine for an X-ray to take place. She said: "I did feel really humiliated. It takes a lot to upset me and I did feel very upset when I left the hospital that day because I just felt this is a regular screening for any woman and yet again a disability is stopping that from happening." A few months later Jane was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer which had spread to her lymph nodes. "That's when I started thinking if this had been picked up earlier maybe it wouldn't have spread," she said. Read full story Source: BBC News, 11 July 2024 -
News Article
Some smear test scientists investigated over screening
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A small number of biomedical scientists are being investigated following fitness to practise concerns relating to cervical screening in the Southern Trust, BBC News NI understands. In October 2023, it emerged smear tests of more than 17,000 women in the trust would be re-checked as part of a review dating back to 2008. It is understood that some of the women affected have since referred the matter to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) which investigates concerns about the practice of a professional on its register. Stella McLoughlin from Newry, who is one of the 17,500 women affected by the re-check, said the review process has left her feeling “very afraid, fragile, and angry”. Following news that other women in her position have referred the matter to the HCPC, she said there needs to be an investigation. "I don't know why they're calling it a review because to me this is a scandal. This has affected so many women," she said. Read full story Source: BBC News, 11 July 2024 -
News Article
NHS urged to prioritise cancer care basics over tech and AI ‘magic bullets’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS must concentrate on the basics of cancer treatment rather than the “magic bullets” of novel technologies and artificial intelligence, or risk the health of thousands of patients, experts have warned. In a paper published in the journal Lancet Oncology, nine leading cancer doctors and academics say the NHS is at a tipping point in cancer care with survival rates lagging behind many other developed countries. The NHS has not met its target for 85% of cancer patients to start treatment within two months since December 2015. International research shows that every four weeks of delay in treatment increases the risk of death by up to 10%. It means hundreds of thousands of people have to wait months to start essential cancer treatment, and only 67% begin treatment within 62 days. The paper highlights 10 pressure points that are contributing to entrenched cancer survival inequalities, diagnosis and treatment delays, and inappropriate care. In a sharply worded warning, the cancer experts say “novel solutions” such as new diagnostic tests have been wrongly hyped as “magic bullets” for the cancer crisis, but “none address the fundamental issues of cancer as a systems problem”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 8 July 2024 -
Content ArticleThis policy review published in the Lancet Oncology discusses ten key pressure points in the NHS in the delivery of cancer care services that need to be urgently addressed by a comprehensive national cancer control plan. These pressure points cover areas such as increasing workforce capacity and its productivity, delivering effective cancer survivorship services, addressing variation in quality, fixing the reimbursement system for cancer care, and balancing of the cancer research agenda. These areas have been selected based on their relative importance to ensuring sustainable cancer services, persistence as key issues in the NHS, and their impact on delivering better and more equitable and affordable patient outcomes. Many of these pressure points are not acknowledged explicitly in any current discourse. The evidence provides points to their impact on the ability to deliver world class cancer care, but also to their amenability to affordable solutions if given the relevant prioritisation and investment. The current narrative needs to move away from a technocentric approach to improving care, to one focused on understanding the complexity of cancer services and the wider health system to drive improvements in survival, quality of life, and experience for patients.
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Content ArticleThe incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer has increased significantly over the past decade. Although there has been research on the relationship between outcomes and socioeconomic status in older adults, data on socioeconomic and racial disparities in younger adults is lacking. This US study in Surgery aimed to fill this gap by investigating factors affecting screening, treatment and outcomes for adults under 50 years at the time of diagnosis. The authors found that socioeconomic and racial disparities in early-onset colorectal cancer affect diagnosis, treatment and survival. They call for interventions to boost early diagnosis and access to surgery among minorities and patients living in neighbourhoods with low socioeconomic status.
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News Article
Hacked UK trove includes data on newborns, cancer patients...
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Hackers behind a London hospital attack recently published records that include personal information about pregnant women, newborns, cancer patients, people suffering from schizophrenia and thousands of others across the UK and Ireland, revealing the breach was far more widespread than authorities have previously indicated. An analysis of the data trove by Bloomberg News found that it contains tens of thousands of medical records on patients from more than 400 public and private hospitals and clinics. Among the records are some 40,000 highly sensitive documents sent by doctors requesting biopsies and blood tests for individual patients in all regions of the UK and some hospitals in Ireland. A breach of the kind faced by Synnovis was inevitable, according to Saif Abed, a former NHS doctor and expert in cybersecurity and public health. “The NHS has some of best patient safety and cybersecurity standards in the world,” Abed said. “They are just immensely poorly enforced.” Abed said that there was a lack of mandatory cybersecurity audits on any contractors providing services to the NHS, which meant those contractors could have substandard cybersecurity practices that could in turn leave the NHS vulnerable. Read full story Source: Bloomberg UK, 26 June 2024 -
News ArticleA cancer patient has told Sky News it's "terrifying" for her health that junior doctors are striking again from Thursday. The NHS is expecting "major disruption" during the five-day strike as medics in England walk out over pay amid a yellow health alert heatwave and ongoing disruption to some services because of a ransomware cyber attack earlier this month. Major hospitals Guys' and St Thomas' and King's in London are still running at reduced capacity after the incident. Cancer survivor Donia Youssef has annual colonoscopies but her last was cancelled because of previous industrial action by junior doctors. Donia, from Grays in Essex, said: "It's a worry as a mum with two young children and I was on the list. It got cancelled. First time because of the strikes. And after that I didn't hear from them. So I kept pushing. Nothing. It was just more delays. I was just kept waiting. "[They said]: 'There's a backlog. We'll get back to you. There's a backlog, they're getting through. We'll let you know if there's any cancellations.'" "It's like months later. Nothing. So eventually, because the symptoms are getting worse, I decided to pay." Donia was so scared of her health worsening she paid for private treatment, a cost she could barely afford. And now, as a cancer survivor, every time there's a fresh round of strikes she is filled with dread. "I get scared. I can't get [treatment] on the private and a lot of it's really expensive. So, yeah, it's terrifying. So you're constantly aware," she said. Read full story Source: Sky News, 27 June 2024
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Content Article
In this blog, patient advocate and healthcare communications consultant, Tambre Leighn, summarises her poster, Ask Me! Transforming Patient Communication to Improve Enrolment & Adherence in Clinical Trials and Cancer Care, presented at this year's American Association of Cancer Researchers conference. Tambre discusses how effective communication is essential for ensuring patient safety in clinical trials and cancer care, and why poor communication can lead to negative outcomes. She shares her strategies to improve patient safety through communication. -
News Article
Mother faces terminal cancer after years of misdiagnosis by the NHS
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A woman is battling a terminal cervical cancer diagnosis after an NHS trust misdiagnosed her test results as constipation several times. Sarah Roch, a 43-year-old mother of two from Plymouth, faced nine years of missed opportunities from 2010 by Derriford Hospital and only discovered she had cervical cancer after a voluntary hysterectomy in 2019. By the time she was diagnosed - which occurred by accident following her hysterectomy - Ms Roch was told she had late-stage cervical cancer. Ms Roch, who worked at the same hospital which misdiagnosed her, has had to give up her job to have chemotherapy three times a week. She is now calling for greater awareness of cervical cancer symptoms and has urged women to seek a second opinion if they feel something isn’t right. Read full story Source: The Independent, 17 June 2024 -
News Article
Sussex NHS trust apologises for cancer treatment delays before man’s death
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A troubled NHS trust has apologised to the family of a man who died after a series of delays led to him waiting four times longer for an operation than a national cancer target. Before he died in November 2022, Ken Valder, 66, complained of “delays after delay” to his treatment for oesophageal cancer. University Hospitals Sussex – the focus of a separate police investigation into allegations of surgical negligence and cover-ups over dozens of deaths between 2015 and 2021 – admitted that errors, failures and disagreements between surgeons contributed to delays to Valder’s treatment. They also accepted that the case highlighted patient safety concerns that prompted the hospital regulator in 2022 to suspend upper gastrointestinal cancer services at the trust, which includes the Royal Sussex County hospital in Brighton. An independent review of the case also found that Valder’s care was “suboptimal” and that if he had received surgery earlier it “might have led to a better oncological outcome”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 17 June 2024 -
Content ArticleThis cohort study in JAMA Network Open aimed to assess how patients receiving radiation treatment for cancer rated their satisfaction with fully remote management by doctors. It also identified the associated safety events, financial implications and environmental consequences. The authors found that: more than 99% of safety events did not reach patients or caused no harm to patients. 98% of patient ratings of satisfaction with fully remote management were good to very good. out-of-pocket cost savings associated with fully remote management totalled approximately $612 913 ($466 per patient). estimated carbon dioxide emissions decreased by 174 metric tons.
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Content ArticlePatient advocate and healthcare communications consultant, Tambre Leighn, shares her poster, Ask Me!: Transforming Patient Communication to Improve Enrollment & Adherence in Clinical Trials and Cancer Care, presented at the American Association of Cancer Researchers conference.
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News Article
Deadly cancer treatment delays now ‘routine’ in NHS, say damning reports
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Hundreds of thousands of people are being forced to wait months to start essential cancer treatment, with deadly delays now “routine” and even children struck by the disease denied vital support, according to a series of damning reports. Health chiefs, charities and doctors have sounded the alarm over the state of cancer care in the UK as three separate studies painted a shocking picture of long waits and NHS staff being severely hampered by a worsening workforce crisis and a chronic lack of equipment. The first report, by Cancer Research UK, found that 382,000 cancer patients in England were not treated on time since 2015. The charity investigated how many patients had begun treatment 62 days or longer after being urgently referred for suspected cancer. The national NHS target – under which at least 85% of people should start treatment within 62 days – was last met in December 2015. The second report, by the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR), said delays in cancer care had become routine, with nearly half of UK cancer centres experiencing weekly delays in starting treatment. The RCR also warned of a “staggering” 30% shortfall in clinical radiologists and a 15% shortfall in clinical oncologists – figures it projects will get worse in the next few years. The third paper, from four children’s cancer charities – Young Lives vs Cancer, Teenage Cancer Trust, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, and Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group – said young patients were being failed by a lack of support after diagnosis. Naser Turabi, the charity’s director of evidence, said the crisis was causing widespread treatment delays that “negatively impact” patients. “One study has estimated that a four-week delay to cancer surgery led to a 6-8% increased risk of dying, and delays can also reduce the treatment options that are available. There are also the psychological effects – with waiting causing major stress and anxiety for cancer patients and their loved ones.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 13 June 2024 -
Content ArticleFour of the UK’s leading children’s and young people’s cancer charities, Young Lives vs Cancer, Teenage Cancer Trust, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, and Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG), have launched The North Star, an ambitious vision for a better future for children and young people with cancer. In 2022, the charities, together with Dartington Service Design Lab, began an in-depth programme of qualitative and quantitative research, with the aim to transform cancer care for children and young people. This evidence base, which includes the lived experience of over 1,500 young people, parents, carers and siblings, now provides the foundation to develop solutions and inform decisions that achieve greater outcomes for young people and their families affected by cancer. This report focuses on the needs and wellbeing of children and young people with cancer and their families and identifies the gaps in support and areas which need vital transformation.
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Content ArticleCancer Research UK has published a manifesto that sets out the measures and commitments the next government can make to help prevent 20,000 cancer deaths every year by 2040.
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Content ArticleThe Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) have published their 2023 clinical radiology and clinical oncology workforce census reports. These reveal dangerous shortages of doctors essential in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and other conditions including stroke.
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News Article“Outdated” guidance on prostate cancer could be putting men’s lives at risk, a charity has said. Prostate Cancer UK said that men at high risk of the disease can get a test, but only if they request one. It said that GPs are told not to raise the issue with men unless they have symptoms. But most men with early prostate cancer – when it is easiest to treat – do not have any signs or symptoms. Chiara De Biase, director of health services, equity and improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “We simply can’t continue with a system where men at high risk of prostate cancer can get a test – but only if they know to request one. “This outdated guidance is failing both men and their clinicians, making health inequalities worse and putting lives at risk. It’s about time that changed. She added: “We know that a lot of men don’t come forward because they think they’ll be invited as part of routine tests – when this simply isn’t true". Read full story Source: The Independent, 12 June 2024
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News ArticlePatients with cancer and those needing emergency operations were among those who had their treatment cancelled this week due to a major cyberattack on NHS hospitals in London. More than 200 emergency and life-saving operations, including those which should be done within 24 hours, had to be cancelled by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust (GSTT) and King’s College University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. It is not yet clear how long the disruption will last, however hospitals are concerned they will struggle if it continues for more than a few days. According to a source, Synnovis carries out tens of thousands of tests a day but is unable to do so as it cannot access systems. The Independent revealed: More than a third of procedures and operations have been cancelled, which includes over 3,000 non-surgical appointments and hundreds of patients who have been referred for urgent cancer diagnosis. Mothers waiting to have c-sections have also had their procedures cancelled and hospitals are investigating potential harm. Transplant operations have been cancelled and hospitals have had to reduce the number of people they’re able to book in. Read full story Source: The Independent, 10 June 2024
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News Article
Local control of NHS screening could jeopardise patient safety
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
Patients could be put at risk by plans to allow local NHS bodies to oversee the quality of health screening programmes for diseases such as breast and bowel cancer, experts have suggested. At the moment, NHS England runs the Screening Quality Assurance Service (SQAS) to make sure local organisations comply with national standards, are safe and can be subject to inspections. There are 11 national screening programmes in England, including those for breast, cervical and bowel cancer, plus antenatal and newborn screening, abdominal aortic aneurysm and diabetic eye screening. At the moment, screening programmes must report all safety incidents to the SQAS and the SQAS inspectors visit local sites to pick up urgent issues and make recommendations. Now, a report in the British Medical Journal questions plans by NHS England to allow local bodies to have more control. Sue Cohen, former national lead of screening quality assurance at Public Health England, told the BMJ that devolving responsibility for SQAS to local organisations would be a “retrograde” step. She pointed to previous issues, such as in Kent where a lack of oversight of a cervical screening programme led to women with cancer not being picked up. She said: “If you don’t have a quality assurance service that is properly resourced and has that ability to keep a national view, you will simply not have the oversight of the system and there is a bigger risk of incidents going undetected.” Read full story Source: Medscape News, 22 May 2024 -
News Article
HPV vaccine stops 90% of cervical cancer cases
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
Giving teenagers the HPV vaccine is cutting cases of cervical cancer by 90%, figures for England show. Scientists say it works so well that this type of cancer could be eradicated in the near future. The study shows the vaccine is most effective when offered to Year 8 students - those aged 12 to 13. The vaccine also provides protection against genital warts by preventing human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. The study, funded by Cancer Research UK and led by experts at Queen Mary University of London, shows the HPV vaccine combined with cervical screening can dramatically reduce cervical cancer incidence to the point where almost no-one develops it. More cases were prevented in the most deprived socio-economic groups in society - those often hit hardest by the disease. Prof Peter Sasieni, lead author of the work that is published in the British Medical Journal,, external said: "Our research highlights the power of HPV vaccination to benefit people across all social groups. Historically, cervical cancer has had greater health inequalities than almost any other cancer and there was concern that HPV vaccination may not reach those at greatest risk. This study captures the huge success of the school-based vaccination programme in helping to close these gaps and reach people from even the most deprived communities." Read full story Source: BBC News, 16 May 2024 -
Content ArticleKerri Mothersole was a 44 year old woman who had a past medical history of asthma, labyrinthitis, depression and back pain. In May 2020 she was seen with symptoms of possible early menopause and blood tests requested. In October 2020 she was noted to be suffering from tiredness and had irregular periods and again blood tests were requested. Blood tests taken in January 2021 noted a low haemoglobin and ferritin so iron was prescribed as well as follow up in two months. In March 2021 she complained of having per vaginal bleeding for six weeks and she was referred for an ultrasound. Due to her underlying ill health, she had difficulty in attending appointments and missed a number of different appointments. She was seen in the surgery on 21 June 2021 by her General Practitioner who noted abdominal tenderness and weight loss and he again referred her for an ultrasound. An ultrasound was undertaken by a private firm HEM Clinical Ultrasound on 28 June 2021 but the report was never sent to her General Practitioner. A second ultrasound on the 1 July 2021suggested a diagnosis of adenomyosis but noting that serious pathology could not be ruled out. Only the second report was sent to the General Practitioner which led to a routine gynaecology referral, she had however already been referred to the colorectal team on the urgent two week wait pathway. Had the earlier scan report been seen this would have led to an urgent referral to gynaecology. There were a number of missed appointments and a colonoscopy took place on 20 October 2021. The procedure was negative but the endoscopist thought he could feel something in the pelvis and a CT scan was arranged. The CT scan on 28 October 2021 demonstrated a large pelvic mass and she was referred to the gynaecology team in early December and a multidisciplinary team meeting discussion on 17 December 2021 led to a request for an MRI scan. Appointments were made for 31 December 2021, 25 January 2022 and again in February but not attended and she eventually underwent an MRI on 1 May 2022 which revealed a large mass. She was again discussed at the multidisciplinary team meeting on 6 May 2022 and referred to the gynae-oncology surgeons at Maidstone hospital. She was seen on 1 June 2022 and booked for surgery on 27 June 2022. She was, however, far too unwell for surgery on 27 June 2022 and further investigations revealed brain metastases. She was admitted to hospital and treated with steroids and referred to the Oncologists as surgery was deemed no longer appropriate. She was prescribed hormone treatment but she was, by now, too unwell to receive even palliative radiotherapy. She was taken to Medway Maritime hospital on 19 August 2022 and was struggling as she had been so unwell at home. Whilst plans were being made to provide some care at home she remained overnight but sadly died on 20 August 2022 as she was so unwell she could not return home.
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Content ArticleIt’s well known that diagnosis at an early stage of cancer dramatically increases chances of survival. Current NHS policy is focused on diagnosing cancer at an earlier stage and improving the speed with which patients receive a definitive diagnosis. This article from the Nuffield Trust and The Health Foundation presents graphical data illustrating that the NHS is seriously off course in achieving these aims. It examines the reasons for delays to diagnosis including difficulties patients face in getting their concerns and symptoms taken seriously, the role of deprivation in increasing diagnostic inequalities and pressures due to increasing numbers of referrals. It also looks at the role screening has to play in achieving earlier diagnosis and highlights issues with patients understanding the information they are given.
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News Article
Staff shortages force women to travel 125 miles for breast cancer care
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
Hundreds of breast cancer patients have travelled more than 100 miles for diagnosis and treatment after waiting times soared at another health board because of staffing shortages. NHS Grampian, which previously received NHS Tayside patients because of staffing problems in Dundee, is now sending its own cases to Larbert, near Falkirk, because its breast cancer department can no longer cope. About 520 people from the Aberdeen area urgently referred to hospital with breast cancer symptoms have travelled to the Forth Valley Royal Hospital for diagnosis with some going on to receive their treatment miles away from home. It is anticipated that at least another 330 Grampian patients will be sent to Forth Valley while the waiting lists are brought under control in Aberdeen. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 2 May 2024
