Missed Early Diagnosis, Cut Budgets – Pressures on the NHS Increases

Every 30 minutes in the UK someone dies from bowel cancer. However, bowel (colon and rectum) cancer is one of the most treatable cancers if detected early.

Chief Executive at Bowel Cancer UK, Genevieve Edwards said:  "It's heartening to see that significantly more people are being referred for bowel cancer tests after visiting their GP with potential symptoms. However, it's disappointing that half of those urgently referred for bowel cancer investigation wait longer than 28 days for diagnosis, or to have a cancer ruled out.

Every 30 minutes someone dies from bowel cancer, it's the UK's second biggest cancer killer but it shouldn't be because it’s treatable and curable especially if diagnosed early. Nearly everyone survives bowel cancer if diagnosed at the earliest stage however this drops significantly as the disease develops."

• Related content: Top 10 Symptoms and Signs of Bowel (Colon and Rectum) Cancer

Booking an Appointment “Too Difficult”

Patients are increasingly avoiding seeing their GP because they find it too difficult to book an appointment, the latest data show.

Results from the 2022 GP Patient Survey also show that satisfaction with family doctors in England has dwindled since the previous year. The findings come as the Government and the NHS struggle to retain GPs and boost recruitment to meet rising patient demand and an ageing population.

Almost 1 in 5 said they were worried about being a burden on the NHS

"GPs are working harder than ever before, yet these findings show a dramatic fall in patients' experience of getting an appointment." She said recruitment of GPs, nurses, and other professionals to meet rising levels of need was proving tough "because in many cases those staff simply don’t exist".

Cancer and GP budgets may have to be cut to fund staff pay rises, NHS leaders have warned

Ahead of proposals on NHS staff pay rises from the government, NHS England directors have warned in lieu of additional government funding, any pay rise for staff above 3 percent may be taken from other healthcare budgets, such as cancer.

The warning also comes as the NHS is set to lose 6.000 jobs from three of its major managing organisations: NHS England, Health Education England and NHS Digital.

NHS staff working at the three national bodies were told that their jobs are at risk as the organisations seek to cut roles by 30 to 40 per cent.

The government is expected to make its offer for pay rises, however, has made no indication it will provide additional funding to the NHS to support an increase of more than 3 percent.