"A County Antrim GP has said she is "hugely concerned" for women who need breast cancer treatment in Northern Ireland after three patients in her surgery received late cancer diagnoses. The patients are among 32 women in the Notting Hill Medical Practice, based in the Northern Trust, who were red-flagged within a five-month period this year. The three women, who have asked for their identities to be protected, had to wait more than eight weeks to be seen by a consultant,"
"One of the women said she has been in limbo for months and "just wants the cancer out". She said that after being told there were more than 80,000 women in front of her on the waiting list, she paid for a private diagnosis which confirmed she had stage two breast cancer. The woman said she is "furious" about the delay and is feeling the strain mentally and physically."
"Dr O'Hagan said such failings are not happening in England, Scotland and Wales and asked why women in Northern Ireland should be getting a "substandard service". "The new regional breast cancer service is not functioning - there is a bottleneck, they are not meeting the targets for women who are red-flagged," Dr O'Hagan said. "It never used to be like this, it's not working.""
A County Antrim GP expressed huge concern after three patients at a single surgery received late breast cancer diagnoses. Thirty-two women at the Notting Hill Medical Practice were red-flagged within five months; three waited over eight weeks to see a consultant and nine others remain waiting, one for more than ten weeks. One patient paid for private testing after being told there were over 80,000 people ahead and was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. The regional breast cancer service is described as having a bottleneck and is not meeting red-flag targets. Red-flag referrals should be seen within two weeks, and treatment should start within 62 days, yet between April and June 2025 about 840 patients (67%) waited longer than 62 days.
Read at www.bbc.com
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