A Dundee mum has hit out at a potential seven month wait for a vital cancer screening appointment.
Anne Blaylock, 48, faces weeks of worry after her smear test revealed she has abnormal cells and changes to her cervix.
But she was dismayed to be told there’s a 20 week wait for a colposcopy appointment.
This vital appointment will help identify whether cell changes need treatment to stop them developing into cervical cancer.
Anne says she’s concerned because of her medical and family history and wants to warn other women across Scotland.
The mum-of-two talked to us about her concerns as our new health charts tracking NHS waiting times launched.
“I know you don’t always hear anything back,” Anne says. “It tends to only be if there’s something to worry about.
“I hadn’t heard anything and assumed everything was OK.
“But last Monday I received a letter – eight weeks to the day after I had my smear.”
Family history
Anne contacted her GP surgery to ask why there had been a delay.
They advised there’s a new centralised system to collate and send out letters.
And she was told to phone Ninewells to check about next steps.
“I phoned the hospital to check about the colposcopy,” Anne explains.
“They said it’s a 20-week waiting list to be seen, with little chance of me getting a cancellation.
“That’s seven months in total I could be waiting.
‘It’s all I can think about’
“I’ve had cancerous cells removed in my early 20s. And, given my medical and family history, I have been walking around in a daze for the last week.
“It’s all I can think about.
“My gran died of ovarian cancer. When my mum had a hysterectomy, they found a benign, tennis ball sized cyst on her ovaries.
“To be waiting for 20 weeks for the next stage is really worrying.
“I think other women won’t know that it takes up to eight weeks to get results back.
“It doesn’t make sense.
‘Worry’
“I worry there’s going to be people who will die in that period – especially since some have struggled to get their smears because of Covid.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson explains they’re working with organisations that oversee screening in Scotland to recover capacity and address backlogs.
But those at higher risk continue to be prioritised for screening.
People classed as higher risk are receiving screening invitations at the same time as they would have done pre-Covid.
Others on the “routine pathway” now receive invitations up to around six months later than they would have done pre-Covid.
“The pandemic has been the biggest shock of the NHS’s 74-year existence,” says the Scottish Government spokesperson.
What happens after my smear?
There are two national laboratories in NHS Scotland performing all cervical screening tests for those eligible.
A national cervical screening IT system allows fast communication between the national labs, local health boards and GP practices.
If HPV is found, further examination of the sample is undertaken.
The Scottish Government admits there are currently delays in issuing a small proportion of cervical screening results from both of the laboratories in Scotland.
But they assure work is under way to reduce the time.
“Currently, the average turnaround time for all samples in the cervical screening programme is within the 14 day target.
“Over 80% of participants receive their results within a week of the sample being taken,” they add.
What if I’ve had an abnormal smear?
If you’ve had an abnormal smear the referral will be made from the HPV lab to your local NHS Board.
Referrals which are classed as “urgent” should result in you being offered a local appointment for colposcopy within four weeks.
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside confirms: “The current waiting time for a colposcopy for patients referred as urgent or those with an urgent suspicion of cancer is three weeks.”
Funding to increase capacity
But the Scottish Government spokesperson explains: “We’re aware some NHS Boards are experiencing longer than usual waiting times for colposcopies.
“We recently invested around £1 million to increase capacity in both sample taking and colposcopy services.
“And, last autumn, we provided a further £660,000 to Health Boards who are experiencing longer waiting times for colposcopy.”
‘Additional consultant’
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside says: “The current waiting time for a colposcopy for patients referred as urgent or those with an urgent suspicion of cancer is three weeks.
“Following assessment, some women are appointed with a routine referral.
“Currently, these women are waiting longer than we would wish and to address this we have appointed an additional consultant which will improve waiting times for routine referrals.”
Conversation