NHS seeing three fold differences in cancer referrals

It will also emphasise concerns about postcode lotteries of treatment for differing diseases and lend weight to insurers' claims of inconsistent care in different parts of the country. According to the data, the rate of urgent GP referrals for suspected cancer cases varies by as much as a 3.2 times when all PCTs were included, but this fell to a 2.5 fold difference when the top and bottom five were removed. The Department of Health report sought to downplay this variation but noted that it could be indicative of factors other than the local population. ‘It is important to emphasise...