A PILOT scheme to more than halve the target time for certain cancer referrals could save lives in East Lancashire, according to leading medics.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) has been selected by the health service to pioneer a new 28-day trial scheme for lung, throat, stomach and other related cancers.

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More than 250 people per month turn up at the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General hospitals, after being told by their GPs that they have suspected cancer.

And currently there is national guidance that those affected should be seen within 62 days, a target which ELHT is facing a battle to meet in 2016-17.

But under the year-long 28-day Cancer Pilot, the process will be short-circuited so patients know far sooner what they may or may not be facing.

A patients’ watchdog leader has welcomed the announcement but highlighted concerns over treatment target performance in Blackburn with Darwen.

Dr Jane McNicholas, the trust’s cancer clinical lead, said: “For people who are worried they may have either of these cancers, waiting for those all-important tests result is a nerve-wracking time.

“The East Lancashire 28-day Cancer Pilot will make this period of uncertainty much shorter for more patients.

“For those who get the all clear, they will have peace of mind sooner. Those who sadly have cancer will get treatment much quicker and we will save lives as a result.”

For instance, a patient suspected of having lung cancer will undergo a ‘virtual clinic’ with a consultant physician and consultant radiologist, to decide on the next steps, based on a chest x-ray and CT scan results, before they even attend their first outpatients appointment.

Those referred for treatment with suspected ‘Upper GI’’ or gastro-intestinal cancers, including throat and stomach conditions, should see a CT scan performed within 24 to 48 hours of their first internal investigation.

Juliette Brookfield, the trust’s cancer services business manager, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to change the way we work, initially for our lung and Upper GI (throat and stomach) patients, so the waiting time to be given a diagnosis will be much quicker for our patients in East Lancashire.

“This will lead to an incredible improvement in the experience for patients who often have to wait several weeks to receive their diagnosis.”

The results from ELHT’s work will be immediately relayed to the national cancer team, so their findings can be shared across England.

Part of the process will also see a patient’s representative monitoring the project and reporting back to senior clinicians.

Russ McLean, chairman of East Lancashire Patients Voice, said: “While I am really pleased that ELHT has been selected for this pilot, I will be keeping a close eye on this initiative.

“Recently the cancer targets performance for Blackburn with Darwen have been heavily criticised and I have written to the clinical commissioning group to ask what is being done to address the issue,” he added.

“This is a very emotive subject and you wouldn’t want someone in your family to be affected in one of those months where they fail to hit the target.”

The 85 per cent target, for seeing patients within 62 days of a referral for GPs, was met in April and July but missed in May, June and August.

Trust bosses have blamed the issue on increasing demand and ‘capacity pressures’, in their November board report.

Once the trial has been undertaken for lung, throat and stomach cancers, the same faster diagnosis regime should be available for all cancer tumour groups by 2020.

Trust chiefs said they receive around 50 GP referrals for suspected lung cancer in a month, and 200-plus referrals for ‘Upper GI’ cancers. Less than one in three will eventually be told that they have cancer.

Dr Fawad Zaman, a consultant physician at ELHT, said: “As part of the new 28-day cancer pilot, we are hopeful that most of our patients will know within 28 days whether they have a cancer, or not.

“One very important thing to remember is that all cancer patients should be treated with 62 days from the date they are referred by their GP and the trust continues to work hard to ensure this target is achieved.”