Don’t Wait and Worry
The thing my GP colleagues and I want to stress the most is that our services are available, our practices are safe, and we really want to hear from anyone worried about their health.
A drop in the number of people across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire seeking help from their GP for symptoms that could be cancer has prompted a warning that not getting checked could lead to serious consequences.
It comes as new data reveals that GP referrals for patients with suspect cancer to each of the region’s hospitals during April, May and June plummeted.
Dr Ruth Grabham, CCG Medical Director, said:
“The thing my GP colleagues and I want to stress the most is that our services are available, our practices are safe, and we really want to hear from anyone worried about their health.
“Whether it’s bleeding, a new lump or something else that just doesn’t feel right, let us know so that we can look into it and arrange further help, as putting it off will only make whatever the issue is more difficult to treat in the long run.”
Dr Grabham’s call comes on the same day that a new campaign is being launched by Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group to encourage people to act early when it comes to their health and wellbeing.
The Don’t Wait and Worry campaign, which will be promoted through a series of regular radio adverts, also reinforces the message that the NHS, regardless of coronavirus, is always ready to offer care, help and support to those who need it.
Additionally, the campaign shines a light on mental health, with one of its key aims being to reassure people that it is perfectly normal to feel isolated, run down and anxious, and to seek help early on.
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