ALMOST a quarter of all cancer cases in Barnsley are not being diagnosed until patients are admitted to hospital as a result of a medical emergency, it was revealed this week.
In a typical year across the county, 21 per cent of cancers are diagnosed through emergency routes, such as visiting A and E - which is higher than the England average of 19 per cent.
But in Barnsley, that figure is 24 per cent.
Of the cancers in England diagnosed through an emergency route, around 75 per cent are described as being at a ‘late’ stage, meaning it is often harder to treat and survival rates are lower.
Currently, around half of cancers in Yorkshire are diagnosed at stage three or four.
The NHS Long Term Plan has set a target for 75 per cent of all cancers to be diagnosed early by 2028.
But analysis from Yorkshire Cancer Research reveals Yorkshire will miss this target by seven years unless the government improve access to cancer screening.
Dr Stuart Griffiths, director of research at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: “Early diagnosis is critical to cancer survival as more treatment options are available and there is a better chance of the cancer being successfully treated.
“We hope the government and the region’s political leaders make early diagnosis a priority so more people across the region have access to life-saving screening services and are supported to come forward with any cancer signs or symptoms.
“We may still be seeing the effects of the pandemic on cancer survival rates, as more people were diagnosed at a later stage.
“It is vital that we do all we can to ensure these numbers do not continue to fall below pre-pandemic levels.”
The latest NHS England figures show that 97 cancer patients were urgently referred to Barnsley Hospital in June.
Of them, 76 were receiving treatment within two months of their referral.
A month previously - when 110 patients were referred - 82 were treated within 62 days.
In June 2023, 73 out of 95 patients were treated within this period.
Louise Ansari, chief executive at Healthwatch England, said: “We are concerned that the progress made in speeding up both cancer diagnosis and the commencement of cancer treatment in recent months is slowing.
“Despite some progress on the referral to treatment target, the NHS is still falling well short of its operational target that 85 per cent of patients wait less than two months between an urgent referral and treatment commencing.
“Urgent action is required to ensure that timely cancer diagnosis and treatment becomes the norm for all patients in England.”
