COVID-19 New Report to Investigate the Impact of Pandemics on Cancer Treatment Inequality | HSJ Partners

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care and treatment worldwide is significant. According to Cancer Research UK, 3 in 10 cancer patients discontinued treatment when the NHS discontinued much of their usual care to focus on COVID-19.

Cancer Research UK found that nearly one-third of people receiving cancer treatment had their tests, procedures, or appointments delayed, canceled, or changed during the pandemic. Charity Patient Experience Survey 2020 Thirty-three percent of cancer patients reported that at least one method affected treatment.

There are several reasons for the current backlog in cancer care and treatment. Many of the initial blockages had to cancel cancer surgery as the ICU bed gave way for COVID 19 patients and many staff were relocated. Diagnosis and referrals were also delayed because some people decided not to come forward in order to avoid burdening the NHS or catching the virus.

data According to Cancer Research UK, there are about 45,000 (12%) fewer patients who started cancer treatment in the UK between April 2020 and March 2021 compared to before the pandemic. In addition, 15,800 (7%) fewer people were referred by a suspected emergency cancer referral in the United Kingdom in August 2021 compared to the expected number without a pandemic.

The waiting time for diagnosis was also particularly severe. In the United Kingdom alone, the types of diagnostic tests that can be used to detect cancer in the first year of a pandemic are 4.6 million fewer than in the same month of the previous year.

Analysis by Board of Audit By June 2021, the NHS’s cancer services were found to have returned to pre-pandemic levels. However, since the start of the pandemic (until September 2021), patients who received an emergency GP referral for cancer were likely to be delayed, with 26% having to wait at least 62 days before starting treatment.

According to NAO, the COVID-19 disruption will inevitably lead to a sharp increase in latency and backlog for medical systems operating very close to maximum capacity. Restoring selective and cancer treatment performance to the required criteria is a very long and long challenge for the NHS. By 2025, there is a real risk that the waiting list for patients seeking selective treatment will be longer than they are today.

There is no doubt that the NHS is working incredibly hard to reduce the number of people waiting, but everyone in need of treatment can get the same chances regardless of age, ethnicity or area of ​​residence. It is important.

All areas of cancer treatment are affected and recovery is known to be slow, but little is known about the impact of COVID-19 on existing inequality in cancer treatment. That’s why Telstra Health UK conducted an analysis of medical data to determine its impact on different segments of the population.

The analysis investigates whether the known health and care inequality already exposed by the pandemic extends to cancer treatment. The areas of age, gender, ethnicity, and social deprivation are all scrutinized to determine where and how changes are needed to improve care and outcomes.

This study will help you delve into cancer surgery data to understand who was being treated throughout the pandemic and whether different groups in society were disproportionately affected by the care they received.

Analyzing such data is important to provide an overview of care across the country and to highlight areas where resources and care can save lives and improve results when resources and care are concentrated in the right places. am. Such expert analysis shows where change is most needed, as it seeks to bridge the health care gap between the most devastated communities and those where the pandemic impact was less severe. Is essential to provide the necessary evidence for your health.