URGENT cancer referrals have plummeted in St Helens amid fears people are sitting on symptoms due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Also known as two-week waits, urgent cancer referrals are where patients are referred to a hospital specialist for further tests within two weeks – and are down by nearly half in St Helens.

Health chiefs say this is a sign that patients with any potential health concerns are staying away from GPs for fear of contracting coronavirus.

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Dr Paul Rose, GP lead for cancer services in St Helens, is urging people not to ignore any unexplained changes to their body during the COVID-19 crisis.

“My referrals for two-week waits suspected cancer cases have almost halved over the last month as patients are not coming with these symptoms,” Dr Rose said.

“I really want to stress that if you find a suspicious lump, blood in your urine or notice a change in bowel movement that you don’t put off seeing your GP.

“These symptoms can often be caused by other illnesses but it is important to make sure you telephone your surgery for an appointment so we can investigate further.

“With cancer, early detection is vital to long term outcomes and if people wait a long time before seeing their doctor, this can sometimes enable a cancer to spread making it harder to treat.

“We also want to avoid a bottleneck of urgent appointments and referrals when the COVID-19 has passed which will make it harder for ourselves and hospital doctors to see and treat people in a timely manner.”

The fall in urgent cancer referrals was also raised by St Helens CCG’s governing body on Wednesday.

Dr Hilary Flett warned there may be a “big surge” of referrals once the lockdown is lifted due to people self-isolating and sitting on symptoms.

Sarah O’Brien, clinical accountable officer for the CCG, instructed the governing body to start thinking about an “exit strategy” so it can prepare for some of the issues that could arise as a result of the lockdown.

St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said a similar drop in urgent cancer referrals has occurred in Knowsley and Halton.

Pat Gillis, cancer services manager at the trust, said: “If someone spots a lump or notices a change in their wee or bowel habits then it’s really important that they contact their GP as soon as possible.

“We are continuing to assess and treat people at our hospitals and there is no need for anyone to ignore symptoms or delay contacting their GP.

“We are, as always, here for you.”

GP surgeries remain open in St Helens with patients asked to telephone their surgery if they wish to make an appointment with their doctor.

Surgeries have processes in place to ensure they can continue to treat their patients safely in the community.

They are also using technology, including online and video GP consultations, so patients don’t need to visit the surgery in person.