NHS urging people not to put off cancer checks

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NHS England has launched a drive to remind people not to put off going to see a doctor if they have possible signs and symptoms of cancer.
Although November saw record numbers of people coming forward for cancer checks, according to the latest NHS England figures, health service chiefs are still concerned that people are delaying seeking treatment when they shouldn’t because of the pandemic.
A total of 246,000 people were checked for cancer in November – three times as many as compared to the beginning of the pandemic in April 2020, when people were reluctant to come forward, said NHS England.
In the early stages of the pandemic, half (49%) of people said they would delay coming forward because they didn’t want to burden the health service or because they were worried about catching Covid-19 in hospital.
The charity Macmillan Cancer Support has estimated there have been nearly 50,000 fewer cancer diagnoses across the UK since the start of the pandemic.

While occupational health practitioners, clearly, are not cancer specialists, they are nevertheless well-placed to identify possible ‘red flag’ signs in an employee, and recommend they go and see their GP to be checked out.
Moreover, the earlier someone is diagnosed and treated for cancer the greater the likelihood of recovery and being able to return to work, a rehabilitation process where OH can play a key role.