Speaking in this afternoon’s Welsh Conservative debate on ‘The Impact of Covid-19 on health services’, North Wales MS Mark Isherwood said the pandemic has “shone a spotlight on issues within our Welsh NHS resulting from over two decades of Labour Welsh Government policies” and called for action to address them, including a Cancer recovery plan.
Mr Isherwood, who Chairs the Cross Party Groups on Neurological Conditions and on Hospices and Palliative Care in the Welsh Parliament, said despite the magnificent job done by the Welsh NHS in caring for people who have contracted Covid 19, the pandemic has exacerbated delays to diagnosis and treatment for life threatening illnesses which have long existed in Wales.
He said:
“Neurology was already chronically underfunded in Wales before the pandemic, with large gaps in service provision resulting in delays to diagnosis of months and sometimes years; lack of follow up and community support; as well as low levels of access to specialist and end of life care.
“In terms of access to services and treatments, a 2019 MS Society survey showed that Wales was already lagging behind the rest of the UK before the pandemic, with 42% of people in Wales having unmet need for physiotherapy compared to 30% in England; and 17% of people in Wales living with MS not having received any emotional or psychological support, compared to 13% across the UK.”
Mr Isherwood also challenged the First Minister’s claim that “Epilepsy surgery has not stopped” because of the pandemic, stating “hospital episodes statistics show far lower numbers and longer waits for both respective surgery and VNS surgery in Wales compared to England, and I am advised that there have been no adult VNS surgeries - either new implantations or battery replacements - since the pandemic started in March, resulting in people not getting the essential surgery and therapy they need”, and the Welsh Government over waiting times for cancer patients.
Speaking on cancer delays, he said:
“Macmillan Cancer Support has noted that England’s backlog of cancer patients will take less time to get through than in Wales, where the median waiting time for patients waiting to start treatment at the end of September in England was less than half that of Wales. By 29 April, 21 COVID-free Cancer Hubs were set up in England, run by Cancer Alliances.
“The Scottish and Northern Irish NHSs have also used independent hospital capacity to set up COVID-free cancer hubs. However, as Macmillan Cancer Support stated, “Wales is lagging behind England when it comes to setting up Covid-19 free hubs to treat cancer patients in Wales.”
Mr Isherwood highlighted the charity’s research which showed an estimated 2,900 people in Wales could be living with undiagnosed cancer because of the pandemic.
He added: "Cancer cannot wait for the pandemic to end and Macmillan wants to make sure cancer is not the 'Forgotten C' of the pandemic”.
“Cancer Research Wales has warned that “many of the people who did not receive their invitation due to the pause in cancer screening services; who put off seeing their GP for fear of COVID-19 or concern about adding to NHS pressures, could have cancer; unless this is addressed quickly, the outcomes for patients in Wales will be less positive; that Wales’ already low reputation for cancer outcomes will experience significant damage in the coming years”; and that “it is through a COVID19 recovery plan for cancer services that Wales will be able to understand the scale of the challenge, and be able to coherently draw all approaches from across Wales together”.
“As our motion states, Wales therefore needs a Cancer recovery plan as seen elsewhere across the UK.”