A new NHS plan has been announced which aims to diagnose more cancers early. High street pharmacies will be funded to refer customers for scans and checks.

The scheme means that people in England with cancer symptoms, such as lumps, a cough, or bleeding, will no longer have to wait to see a GP before being referred to a specialist. Additionally, the NHS will be sending out more “roaming trucks” which will perform on-the-spot scans. These actions will take some of the workload off of GPs and provide patients with other options.

Roughly 50% of all cancers are diagnosed early on, but the NHS wants this number to be at least 75% by 2028. The UK has a poor record of spotting cancer early on compared to other countries in Europe. Michelle Mitchell, from cancer research has said that “by changing the way people engage with health service, we have the potential to help diagnose more cancers at an earlier, more treatable stage.”

The NHS also plans to offer people of Jewish heritage genetic testing for mutations of the breast cancer gene, as they are 10 times more likely to have them than the general population.

Hundreds of pharmacists have already indicated their interest in becoming trained to take on this new role. The new scheme will initially operate as a pilot in an undisclosed number of areas of England.

Image from the Guardian