Colonoscopies can be vital to detecting bowel cancer – but some North East patients are waiting months to have them carried out, The Northern Echo discovered.
Last month, Dame Deborah James’ death shone the national spotlight on the devastating disease.
Known as ‘Bowelbabe’ to her followers, the campaigner dedicated the final months of her life to raising awareness of bowel cancer, the second biggest cancer killer in the UK.
Dame Deborah James died from bowel cancer in June
She is among thousands who die from the disease each year – but if detected early, it can often be successfully treated.
Colonoscopies are internal, endoscopic examinations that can help to detect bowel cancer and other conditions.
Nearly 3,000 patients in the North East were on NHS waiting lists for the procedure in April, the most recent data available.
Echo analysis of NHS statistics shows nearly half had waited more than a month – and more than 460 had lingered on waiting lists more than 13 weeks.
Read more: Swathes of the North East becoming 'dental deserts'
Under NHS rules, patients should wait no more than six weeks, but there were 843 people who had waited longer than that in April.
That's almost twice as many as the year before – and the number waiting more than three months has more than tripled in that time.
Waiting lists across Trusts covering County Durham, Northumbria, Teesside and Tyneside are significantly higher than in April last year and up 42 percent on April 2020, prior to pandemic-related health service disruption.
Nationally, colonoscopy waiting lists have increased by 28 percent since April 2020, with experts saying the coronavirus pandemic contributed to the problem.
Bowel Cancer UK’s chief executive Genevieve Edwards said NHS staff worked hard to keep cancer services going, but added: "The severe disruption over the last two years has led to too many people waiting for crucial tests for bowel cancer.
“This can have devastating consequences.”
She said NHS staff shortages and a lack of capacity in endoscopy services – under which colonoscopies fall – were barriers to improving bowel cancer outcomes.
The charity called on the Government to provide urgent investment to boost the NHS workforce, provide new equipment and bring waiting times under control.
The Northern Cancer Alliance said an endoscopy network now operating across the North East and North Cumbria is bringing services together to address workforce issues and optimise services.
Read more: Do you know the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer?
And the NCA’s spokeswoman said increased use of faecal immunochemical tests (FITs) was helping to get “the right people to the right tests” despite delays in colonoscopies.
She said effective use of FITs - which rule out the need for colonoscopies in some cases - helped to make the best use of available resources.
The NCA also said alternatives to colonoscopies – such as a current pilot scheme that sees patients swallow miniature cameras - could help to ease demand.
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