Cancer patients still receiving treatment in Black Country and Staffordshire amid Covid-19
The number of cancer patients waiting more than 104 days for treatment has fallen at a hospital in the Black Country, health chiefs have said.
Leaders from the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust – which runs Russells Hall Hospital – revealed the number was around 200 in June.
But now it has been reduced to 16 patients after at the end of December after a "huge piece of work" and effort by healthcare professionals.
It comes as the demand for services continue to increase with the demand for two-week referrals returning to 96 per cent of pre-Covid levels.
Karen Kelly, chief operating officer at the trust, said: "We achieved our two week waiting [standard] in October – the first time for a long time. And we're still changing the way we are validating and assessing patients and we've seen a really good improvement in terms of our 104-day patients.
"Originally that was around 200-plus patients on the Patient Treatment List and now that's down to 16. So a huge piece of work and a huge effort into seeing those patients who were waiting.
"We have seen an increase in demand for our services over two-week waiting times – back to pre-Covid levels – but we're coping with those because we've protected our cancer services in terms of the urgent and critical time treatments that need surgery.
"We protect four beds – four to eight beds – on any one day for those cancer patients coming in. So we're continuing to see that and continue to work across the teams.
"We're ahead of the pack in terms of cancer performance and we're aware of that, but we will work with our partners in terms of 'who are the critical time patients across the system, and what can we do together?'"
Ms Kelly told the trust board meeting there had also been an increase in demands for CT scans and the trust were delighted to have a mobile scanner on site for the next few weeks.
Positive
Chief executive Diane Wake said: "We're in quite a good position – we have continued to deliver cancer services and see patients with suspected cancer within our organisation.
"Our current position is positive and I think, as we progress, it's important to remind everybody it's not just about how we work as a hospital it's about how we work as a system.
"I will be working with the other acute hospitals and providers within our system to make sure we can provide equitable access for all of our patients – and that we work together to improve and deliver restoration and recovery together across our whole system."
Meanwhile, in Staffordshire, the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) – which runs Stafford County Hospital and Royal Stoke University Hospital – said cancer services were still being delivered.
Beryl Woodall, deputy chief operating officer at UHNM, said: “We have taken significant steps to ensure there is resource and capacity to deliver cancer services while continuing to provide safe, quality care for all our patients during a pandemic.
"This has meant that some UHNM cancer services have been moved to independent sector facilities to ensure patients can continue to receive treatment during the Covid-19 outbreak.
"We would like to continue to assure our patients that we have established infection prevention measures in place to help limit the risk of spreading coronavirus and it is important that patients attend their appointments.
"All patients and visitors to our hospitals will also be required to wear face coverings, maintain social distancing and regularly wash hands or use anti-bacterial hand gel."
Some UHNM cancer services have been moved to Nuffield Health at Clayton, Newcastle-under-Lyme; Rowley Hall Hospital, Stafford and Beacon Park Day Surgery and Diagnostics Centre in Stafford.
