Newly released figures reveal that hundreds more people than expected are dying of cancer each month. Charities and health experts are blaming lockdowns for missed diagnoses.
According to The Telegraph:
Since the beginning of September, there have been nearly 900 more deaths in people with cancer than would be expected at this time of year, the most recent breakdown of causes of death from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) shows.
There were nearly 230 extra deaths in the worst week.
Deaths involving heart complaints or diabetes have been on the increase since the spring, but it is only in recent weeks that the numbers dying from cancer have been above the five-year norm….
Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that there were 1,517 excess deaths in the week ending November 4, of which only 27 per cent (418) were due to Covid.
NHS data has shown that 38,000 fewer patients received a cancer diagnosis in England during 2020 – a 12 per cent drop from the previous year.
Analysis suggests that at least 22,000 fewer patients have undergone cancer treatment than would have been expected since the start of the pandemic.
The total number of urgent referrals for cancer has hit new highs this summer, with more than 255,000 cases in August – up from 190,369 in February 2020.
The total number of urgent referrals for cancer has also hit new highs this summer, with more than 255,000 cases in August – up from 190,369 in February 2020.
Professor Pat Price, chairman of Radiotherapy UK and co-founder of the #CatchUpWithCancer campaign, has urged Mr Barclay (Health Secretary Stephen Barclay) to intervene.
“The tragic reality is that the cancer backlog is the deadliest and most time-pressing of all and failure to tackle it will be measured in excess cancer deaths for years to come,” she said.
“There is a frustration to the point of despair amongst my clinical colleagues because it doesn’t need to be this way.”
