An interim report has found that a trial of a referral and diagnostic pathway piloted by NHS Ayrshire & Arran, NHS Dumfries & Galloway and NHS Fife has seen 12% of patients diagnosed earlier.
Commissioned by the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) at NHS Golden Jubilee, The University of Strathclyde report outlined how people are able to receive results and get tests more efficiently through the new referral pathway.
After conducting a survey with 162 patients across all Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services, it is said that 86 percent of patients understood their symptoms quicker.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, said: “Providing primary care with a new referral route means this group of patients are able to understand the cause of their symptoms, and rule cancer in or out, more quickly.”
Phil Hodkinson, Co-Clinical Lead Earlier Cancer Diagnosis at the CfSD, added: “Importantly, the report demonstrates the role these new services have in diagnosing cancer in patients that may not normally have been referred to a tumour site-specific pathway.”
Two more Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services are expected to open in NHS Borders and NHS Lanarkshire during 2022/2023, alongside a full report in autumn 2023 outlining the impact of the services, optimal components and if it’s cost-effective.
To view the report in more detail, click here.
