Cancer tests and diagnosis all in a day at one-stop unit

Published on Sunday 15 November 2009 21:48

PATIENTS with suspected cancer are being tested and diagnosed in a single day thanks to an innovative one-stop clinic that also saves the NHS money.

The scheme is reducing long waits and anxiety for patients, who are given faster diagnosis and access to treatment which can improve their chances of recovery.

The clinic, at the breast unit at Edinburgh's Western General Hospital, is estimated to be saving the NHS about 100,000 a year.

Similar approaches could be adopted across Scotland as the NHS aims to save more than 600 million.

In the past patients, could wait up to eight weeks to be seen and assessed for breast cancer.

The new system means they are seen within 14 days of being referred, though the number of patients is rising.

Before the changes, patients had to wait for the results of a first test before going back for a different test until they received a diagnosis.

The service has been redesigned so that all the necessary tests can be carried out on the same day, and a diagnosis given before the patient leaves.

Patients believed to be at a low risk of cancer, but who need investigation to confirm the result, are seen at a parallel clinic which had meant fewer women need to have a mammogram, a special X-ray of the breasts.

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon will today meet patients at the breast unit to find out more about the improvements being made.

"Waiting to find out whether you have cancer is a very traumatic experience," she said. "That is why it is crucial that patients with suspected cancer are seen and treated as quickly as possible.

"This one-stop clinic does just that and has dramatically reduced waits for patients, enabling treatment to start more quickly."

She added: "I am impressed that NHS Scotland has saved 300m in 08/09 but this project reminds us that efficiency isn't just about saving money – it is about delivering the best possible service for patients."

Margaret Watt, chairwoman of the Scotland Patients Association, said the one-stop clinic was "fantastic".

"If you can have all the tests you need in one day and save the stress and anxiety of having to wait for results, that is what we should be doing," she said. "I would like to see this extended across the whole of Scotland."

Across Scotland, the NHS is hoping to save 646m between 2008-9 and 2010-11 by improving efficiency.

Such measures have become increasingly necessary, with a slowdown in spending increases for the NHS and the economic downturn putting a squeeze on budgets.

In 2008-9, the NHS Efficiency Programme saved the health service 300m.

The Scottish Government said efficiency savings are helping patients, as well as cutting costs.