The National Action Plan on Covid-19 identified the continued provision of cancer care as a priority. Cancer services continue to operate in line with guidance issued by the HSE's National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP). However, the number of people coming forward to their GPs, being referred to Cancer Rapid Access Clinics and attending these clinics decreased significantly in mid-March to May 2020 largely due to the fears in regard to Covid-19, and the reaction of people to restrictions in place at that time. These figures improved significantly in the latter half of 2020.
In 2020, diagnoses at Rapid Access Clinics (RACs) for patients with suspected Breast, Lung and Prostate cancer were at 93.7% of the comparable period in 2019. This is broken down across each clinic as follows:
|
Cancers Diagnosed
|
Breast
|
Lung
|
Prostate
|
All Clinics
|
|
2020
|
2,957
|
1,527
|
1,390
|
5,874
|
|
2019
|
2,915
|
1,600
|
1,754
|
6,269
|
|
2020 as % of 2019
|
101.4%
|
95.4%
|
79.2%
|
93.7%
|
For the period January - April 2021 there were 16,960 attendances across all clinics. This compares to 16,825 attendances in the same period in 2019. The adherence to time to treatment KPI's for each of the clinics for January to April 2021 are as follows:
Urgent Symptomatic Breast Disease Clinics
|
Hospital
|
KPI
|
Jan-21
|
Feb-21
|
Mar-21
|
Apr-21
|
|
National
|
95% within 10 days
|
68.2%
|
77.9%
|
70.5%
|
59.1%
|
|
St. James's
|
95% within 10 days
|
51.9%
|
97.5%
|
60.9%
|
35.5%
|
|
Mater
|
95% within 10 days
|
46.7%
|
27.0%
|
23.4%
|
19.2%
|
|
SVUH
|
95% within 10 days
|
99.0%
|
99.0%
|
99.2%
|
99.6%
|
|
Beaumont
|
95% within 10 days
|
100.0%
|
99.1%
|
99.6%
|
100.0%
|
|
Galway
|
95% within 10 days
|
60.1%
|
49.5%
|
31.5%
|
30.6%
|
|
Letterkenny
|
95% within 10 days
|
98.5%
|
100.0%
|
96.4%
|
100.0%
|
|
Cork
|
95% within 10 days
|
28.4%
|
88.6%
|
91.7%
|
17.9%
|
|
Waterford
|
95% within 10 days
|
86.4%
|
99.1%
|
96.3%
|
97.6%
|
|
Limerick
|
95% within 10 days
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
Non-Urgent Symptomatic Breast Disease Clinics
|
Hospital
|
KPI
|
Jan-21
|
Feb-21
|
Mar-21
|
Apr-21
|
|
National
|
95% within 12 weeks
|
57.8%
|
52.1%
|
40.6%
|
37.6%
|
|
St. James's
|
95% within 12 weeks
|
33.2%
|
26.9%
|
40.4%
|
53.1%
|
|
Mater
|
95% within 12 weeks
|
63.6%
|
75.2%
|
66.9%
|
82.9%
|
|
SVUH
|
95% within 12 weeks
|
54.9%
|
48.0%
|
27.7%
|
11.6%
|
|
Beaumont
|
95% within 12 weeks
|
89.0%
|
93.8%
|
95.0%
|
97.5%
|
|
Galway
|
95% within 12 weeks
|
60.0%
|
11.5%
|
9.4%
|
5.4%
|
|
Letterkenny
|
95% within 12 weeks
|
94.5%
|
64.3%
|
56.5%
|
34.1%
|
|
Cork
|
95% within 12 weeks
|
97.0%
|
22.3%
|
13.1%
|
10.6%
|
|
Waterford
|
95% within 12 weeks
|
86.4%
|
99.1%
|
63.9%
|
27.7%
|
|
Limerick
|
95% within 12 weeks
|
38.5%
|
100.0%
|
6.5%
|
8.3%
|
Lung Rapid Access Clinics
|
Hospital
|
KPI
|
Jan-21
|
Feb-21
|
Mar-21
|
Apr-21
|
|
National
|
95% with 10 days
|
87.3%
|
95.1%
|
93.1%
|
94.1%
|
|
St. James's
|
95% with 10 days
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
94.6%
|
98.3%
|
|
Mater
|
95% with 10 days
|
92.6%
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
|
SVUH
|
95% with 10 days
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
|
Beaumont
|
95% with 10 days
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
|
Galway
|
95% with 10 days
|
90.0%
|
94.6%
|
98.6%
|
100.0%
|
|
Cork
|
95% with 10 days
|
90.0%
|
77.8%
|
96.0%
|
88.5%
|
|
Waterford
|
95% with 10 days
|
90.9%
|
90.9%
|
75.9%
|
100.0%
|
|
Limerick
|
95% with 10 days
|
66.2%
|
90.4%
|
80.0%
|
73.1%
|
Prostate Rapid Access Clinics
|
Hospital
|
KPI
|
Jan-21
|
Feb-21
|
Mar-21
|
Apr-21
|
|
National
|
90% within 20 days
|
53.5%
|
54.5%
|
58.2%
|
64.0%
|
|
St. James's
|
90% within 20 days
|
36.8%
|
70.3%
|
90.6%
|
100.0%
|
|
Mater
|
90% within 20 days
|
83.3%
|
94.1%
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
|
SVUH
|
90% within 20 days
|
93.8%
|
93.5%
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
|
Beaumont
|
90% within 20 days
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
|
Galway
|
90% within 20 days
|
8.2%
|
33.3%
|
22.0%
|
10.0%
|
|
Cork
|
90% within 20 days
|
100.0%
|
28.6%
|
30.4%
|
26.7%
|
|
Waterford
|
90% within 20 days
|
20.0%
|
15.9%
|
32.7%
|
64.4%
|
|
Limerick
|
90% within 20 days
|
54.8%
|
63.6%
|
51.7%
|
65.6%
|
While the recent ransomware attack has had an impact on cancer services, every effort is being made to maintain services at present, with a particular focus on urgent and time-sensitive cases.
While capacity across our cancer services has been reduced due to the increased need for physical distancing and infection control measures, funding of €12m has been allocated in 2021 for the restoration of cancer services in the context of Covid-19. This will support diagnostic services, virtual clinics & triage, organisation of treatment services, minor capital works and psycho-social supports.
In addition, as part of Budget 2021, an extra €20m has been allocated for the continued implementation of the National Cancer Strategy this year. This funding is being used to facilitate developments across prevention, diagnosis, treatment and patient supports.
