If England can name & shame docs who miss cancer, why can’t Scotland?

Scots Health Secretary Alex Neil has come under fire for rejecting calls to “name and shame” doctors who repeatedly fail to spot crucial signs of cancer.

Mr Neil has ruled out following the lead of his English counterpart Jeremy Hunt who plans to root out GPs who don’t act quickly enough on the symptoms of the killer disease. The Sunday Post has been inundated with calls from patients and their families about the devastating fallout of late cancer diagnosis.

In one harrowing case we reveal how teenager Natalie Gray was told by her GP she was depressed for two years before it was discovered she had a massive brain tumour.

GPs last night claimed any “name and shame” move could backfire and heap more pressure on the NHS. But critics said it was time for action. Peter Walsh, chief executive of patient safety charity AvMA said: “Late or misdiagnosis in primary care is one of the biggest patient safety issues around.

“Transparency is a very helpful lever in driving up quality and, as long as it is reliable, publishing data about GPs is a good thing. I find it hard to conceive that Hunt’s plan doesn’t make sense so the question for Alex Neil is why wouldn’t you do it?”

Dr Archie Prentice, President of The Royal College of Pathologists, said: “Persistently poor performance in failing to recognise symptoms cannot be ignored, especially when there are over 900 new cancer cases diagnosed daily.

“GPs and clinicians rely on accurate information from pathologists to help make the right treatment decisions. There is evidence however, that there is wide variation in the use of diagnostic tests amongst GPs which cannot be attributed to differences in the demographics of patient populations alone.

“The College also recognises that unnecessary referrals for diagnostic tests for cancer where it is not warranted could be distressing for patients and burdensome for an already strained NHS.”

Studies have estimated up to 10,000 people in the UK die every year as a result of late cancer diagnosis, with survival rates for almost all common cancers worse in Britain than the European average. Nearly all of the callers to The Sunday Post have told a similar story of countless visits to GP surgeries and hospitals and being told they had nothing more than a common illness.

In June, it was revealed the NHS in England was going to adopt a new approach towards the issue of GPs missing symptoms. Family doctors found to be dismissing cancer symptoms as something less serious will be identified on an NHS website.

Scottish Conservative Deputy Leader and Health Spokesman, Jackson Carlaw, said: “We’re less certain after a number of high profile failures, that all GPs are according all their patients equal diligence when it comes to diagnosing cancer, sometimes with tragic consequences.

“Whether a name and shame approach is the best way forward remains to be seen. What should happen is that repeated failure is not excused but dealt with effectively by the profession itself. By acting more like a trade union for vested interests, the BMA in Scotland is undermining public confidence that this is their approach. If this remains the case then the Scottish Government will have to intervene more directly.”

But Dr Andrew Buist, deputy chairman of the British Medical Association’s Scottish GP Committee and a family doctor in Perthshire, said this was the wrong approach.

He said: “It’s a doctor’s worst nightmare when we are presented with this, thankfully rare, situation. The situation is mixed, but we generally do have access to the likes of CT and MRI scans, so the facilities are there.

“However, GPs need to be conscious of the scarcity of these resources. If we referred everyone with even the hint of symptoms then we would create incredible demand and this would impact on those who are in more immediate need. Naming and shaming is wrong. What message does it send to patients?

“My advice for people is to try and see the same GP every time if you have ongoing health issues. Even if this means waiting a few more days, I think it is better as the symptoms can be more easily tracked.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We have no plans to follow the apparent proposition of the UK Government. We’ve established the £30 million Detect Cancer Early programme to help ensure that cancer is diagnosed as early as is possible. The programme has already led to a 50% increase in the number of women going to their doctor to check symptoms of breast cancer. There are also increases in activity at the National Bowel Screening Centre following our recent bowel screening campaign.”

The spokeswoman added the Health Secretary has asked his officials to conduct a review of the guidance available for doctors on referring patients with suspected cancer as early as possible.

She added: “The Scottish Government will consider any measure shown to be effective in improving diagnosis levels.”

‘Ear infection’ was actually a tumour

For two long years, Natalie Gray was told by her GP she was depressed. But it turned out she had a massive brain tumour one of the biggest staff at a specialist cancer clinic had ever seen.

Natalie, 19, said: “When I was about 15, I started having dizzy spells. At first, the doctor said it was an inner ear infection. But when it didn’t go away after a while, they diagnosed labrynthitis. After that, it was depression and panic attacks.

“But it was only when I took a fit that it was checked out and in June 2012, two years after first going to the doctors, I was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

“Doctors at the Beatson oncology clinic said it was one of the biggest they’d ever seen. If it had been detected any later, they wouldn’t have been able to treat it.”

Within weeks, Natalie, who lives in Stirling, had surgery to remove the bulk of the mass. The operation was followed by six weeks of radiotherapy. Unfortunately it’s not curable. It’s more a case of containing it.

“If it had been caught in the very beginning, the tumour would have been a lot smaller and a lot more treatable.” The bakery worker added: “I’m not alone with a missed cancer diagnosis but it shouldn’t be happening.

Natalie and her family have raised a complaint with the GP practice which is currently being investigated. Mum Helen Kidd, 47, added: “When they said it was depression and panic attacks, I didn’t think that was right. I asked for a scan, but was refused. What makes it worse is there is a machine just five doors from the practice.”

Medical worker Helen, from Nairn, added: “Natalie trusted her doctors, but she was let down by the professionals. It points out how important it is for doctors to listen to their patients and if they’re telling them something isn’t right, they need to investigate further.”

If cancer had been caught early George wouldn’t be paralysed now

George and Nicola Reid have been happily married for 20 years and were looking forward to many more. But the future looks bleak since George, 80, was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer last year and given just months to live.

The discovery, in October, came after months of being “fobbed off” with anti-sickness medication for repeated vomiting and weight loss. Now George is paralysed and getting weaker every day. He may only have three months left.

“George was back and forth at the doctors for months,” Nicola, 45, said. “His weight dropped from 18 to 16 stone, but he kept getting fobbed off with tablets.

“George was complaining of back pain and it was obviously the tumour pressing on his spine. They checked for stomach cancers, but not prostate cancer.”

Tests were only conducted when George, from Carnoustie, became so weak concerned Nicola and son George, 20, drove him to hospital. The next day he was paralysed.

“The aftercare has been great, but George should never have needed it,” Nicola said. “By the time he was checked, it was already too late.

“I feel that if the cancer had been caught earlier, George might not be paralysed and we could have spent his final months doing the things he dreamt of. Because there’s 35 years between us, we never expected to grow old together, but we could never have foreseen this. George was given 12-18 months left to live last October, but he’s deteriorating every day.

Additional reporting by Tracey Bryce and James Millar