‘Not manageable': Patients waiting up to a year for cancer diagnoses at Sydney hospital
A woman who waited 139 days to discover a tumour taking up one-third of her bowel and another diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer almost a year after her first referral are among cases which have caused doctors at one of Sydney's biggest hospitals to sound the alarm on their dysfunctional department.
At least 21 patients have had to wait up to 363 days for a cancer diagnosis due to massive demand for endoscopies at Westmead Hospital, doctors said in a letter sent to hospital management on Thursday.
The letter warned these cases, which included a man in his 60s diagnosed with oesophageal cancer 252 days after his first referral, were 'likely a significant underestimation of the problem' because thousands of patients were waiting longer than recommended for the procedure.
There were 3356 patients on the endoscopy waitlist at Westmead as of last month, about half of which were 'category 1' cases needing the procedure within 30 days. About 2500 patients did not have a date for their procedure.
The average wait time for those eventually diagnosed with cancer was 178 days, ranging from 47 to 363 days, the doctors said.
No patient had their cancer diagnosed within the 30 days recommended by the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, and many exceeded the 120-day maximum wait time recommended by the Cancer Council.
'The significant delays are largely because Westmead has significantly fewer anaesthetic lists than equivalent-size peer hospitals,' the letter said. 'Delayed cancer diagnoses are now a regular occurrence which is devastating for patients and demoralising for staff.'
Jeremy Chapman, a retired former director of renal medicine at Westmead, said it was concerning that so many patients were having their cancer diagnosis delayed.
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A woman who waited 139 days to discover a tumour taking up one-third of her bowel and another diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer almost a year after her first referral are among cases which have caused doctors at one of Sydney's biggest hospitals to sound the alarm on their dysfunctional department. At least 21 patients have had to wait up to 363 days for a cancer diagnosis due to massive demand for endoscopies at Westmead Hospital, doctors said in a letter sent to hospital management on Thursday. The letter warned these cases, which included a man in his 60s diagnosed with oesophageal cancer 252 days after his first referral, were 'likely a significant underestimation of the problem' because thousands of patients were waiting longer than recommended for the procedure. There were 3356 patients on the endoscopy waitlist at Westmead as of last month, about half of which were 'category 1' cases needing the procedure within 30 days. About 2500 patients did not have a date for their procedure. The average wait time for those eventually diagnosed with cancer was 178 days, ranging from 47 to 363 days, the doctors said. No patient had their cancer diagnosed within the 30 days recommended by the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, and many exceeded the 120-day maximum wait time recommended by the Cancer Council. 'The significant delays are largely because Westmead has significantly fewer anaesthetic lists than equivalent-size peer hospitals,' the letter said. 'Delayed cancer diagnoses are now a regular occurrence which is devastating for patients and demoralising for staff.' Jeremy Chapman, a retired former director of renal medicine at Westmead, said it was concerning that so many patients were having their cancer diagnosis delayed.
