New Report Raises Concerns On Regional Variation

Specialist medical negligence lawyers have warned that bowel cancer patients cannot fall victim to a postcode lottery of care, after new research suggested a wide variation across the NHS in terms of diagnosis of the disease.

The report by Beating Bowel Cancer found that while the best-performing Clinical Commissioning Groups diagnose 62 per cent of patients early, only 30 per cent of patients are diagnosed in some of the worst-performing areas.

According to the charity, if standards improved to ensure all NHS regions performed to the highest level and patients diagnosed at either stage 1 or 2, around 3,200 lives could be saved and £34 million could then be diverted to other services and treatments for patients.

Mark Flanagan, chief executive of Beating Bowel Cancer, said it was “unacceptable” that less than 1 in 3 patients were being diagnosed at an early stage in some areas.

If you have suffered due to misdiagnosed bowel cancer or a delayed bowel cancer diagnosis, our medical negligence lawyers could help you claim compensation. Call 0808 163 4557 for a free initial consultation or see our Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims page for more details.

Expert Opinion

Early diagnosis of any form of cancer can play a key role in tackling the disease and increasing the chances of a positive outcome for patients. With this in mind, it is worrying to see this inconsistency emerge across the regions in relation to the speed at which problems are being identified. <br/> <br/>"All patients should have access to the highest quality and timely care, but this does not appear to be happening in this area. We would urge the Government and the NHS to carefully examine this and consider what can be done to ensure the best possible support is available across the country. <br/> <br/>"Through our work we have seen how lives can be devastated by failings in relation to treatment on not only bowel cancer but routine support on many other bowel-related issues. This whole area can be incredibly complex and that is why it is absolutely imperative that patient safety comes first." Angela Kirtley - Partner