MORE than a hundred cancer appointments have been missed at the hospital trust serving south Cumbria due to Coronavirus (Covid-19), new figures reveal.

At University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT), 148 cancer appointments were cancelled between March and mid-August.

Out of 25 NHS trusts that replied to a FOI survey, UHMBT recorded the third-highest number of cancer sessions lost to Covid.

It is thought that as many as 35,000 deaths could result from a backlog in cancer care nationwide, owing to a vast mobilisation of resources during the spring months in order to combat the UK's initial Covid-19 outbreak.

The NHS was on a 'war footing' during March and April, according to various reports, as fears mounted that hospitals in certain areas of the country would be overwhelmed. 

Referring to the critical care temporary hospitals that were set up in response to these pressures at the height of the pandemic's outbreak, South Lakes MP Tim Farron argued last week that a 'Nightingalesque' effort was now required to ensure vital cancer care does not fall by the wayside, as the health service approaches the challenging autumn and winter period.

Commenting on the number of missed appointments, Mr Farron said: “These figures are deeply troubling and highlight the severe knock-on effect this pandemic has had on cancer patients.

“As chair of the All-Party Group on Radiotherapy I’ve written a joint letter to the Prime Minister, signed by over 100 MPs representing every party in Parliament, calling for a significant boost to cancer services to deal with the huge treatment backlog that has been created by the COVID-19 crisis.

“The Government’s plans to get cancer services back up and running by the end of the year are nowhere near enough - we need action now if we are to prevent thousands of unnecessary cancer deaths.”.

Last week, UHMBT's Interim Chief Operating Officer, Kate Maynard, said: “Our teams are working exceptionally hard to restore all the services that were paused to allow us to be able to respond to the pandemic but they can’t be simply switched back on to operate in the same way they did before.

"We have to do it in a way that meets all the relevant guidelines and most importantly, keeps everyone safe. We have written to all patients waiting for an appointment to let them know that we will be in touch again in the next three months to give them more information about when they may be seen.

“We are very mindful that we are still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and whilst we currently have very low hospital admissions, there is still the very real risk that infections may increase again.

"It is essential that in order to invite more patients back to our services, we build on the safety measures we have already put in place, such as wearing face masks in public areas; following national guidance regarding self-isolation and testing before planned procedures; ensuring colleagues have access to appropriate PPE; and using technology for patient appointments where appropriate.

“Winter is always a challenging period for the NHS with often high levels of flu and other seasonal illnesses such as norovirus. We will no doubt see that again this year but with the added pressure of potential spikes in cases of COVID-19 in our communities that require hospital care."

The trust did not respond to a further comment request by the time of publication.