Kent: Backlog of cancer screenings caused by coronavirus

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has a "growing waiting list" of patients requiring cancer screening appointments

Eight thousand patients in Kent are waiting to be seen for a cancer screening following a major backlog caused by the coronavirus.

Figures for Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust were disclosed during a Kent County Council meeting.

Councillor Nick Chard, who revealed the case numbers, said: "The NHS is not catching up."

The trust said screening for high-risk patients had been taking place during lockdown.

At a meeting of the council's health and overview scrutiny committee, Mr Chard said: "The waiting lists are growing. The diagnostic screening for breast screening is getting longer."

The trust intends face-to-face services to be at normal capacity by the end of August, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A spokesman said: "We are quickly and carefully reviewing all of our patients to ensure we treat those who have greater clinical need first and we would like to thank them for their patience and understanding."

'Greatest challenges'

Wilf Williams, accountable officer at NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), admitted restarting bowel and breast cancer screenings were two of the "greatest challenges".

Mr Williams said he is hopeful bowel screening services will be fully reinstated by the second week of August.

The committee questioned NHS bosses around the reported delays and asked for more details in two months' time.

Mr Chard said: "There seems to be a segment of the NHS which is not the glamorous A&E and coronavirus frontline, but has rather been forgotten.

"I think it's up for us to highlight it and ensure it does not bounce back to bite us in the future."

The trust added that some non-urgent appointments and procedures were postponed to protect patients during the pandemic.

A spokesman said: "Our priority over the last few months has been ensuring that everyone who needs cancer treatment and urgent and essential care has been able to get it."