What steps is the Welsh Government taking to monitor the number of patients diagnosed with leukaemia in emergency hospital admissions?
The Welsh Government does not routinely collect data on route to diagnosis (e.g. GP, emergency department, screening) for any cancer type, including leukaemia. The NHS in Wales is working to develop this data but given it will be unvalidated management data used in the management of the suspected cancer pathway it is not likely to be made publicly available. The NHS in Wales is already able to track the source of suspicion for suspected cancer referrals.
It is well established that a significant proportion of cancers are first identified in unscheduled care settings such as emergency departments. This reflects the difficulty in identifying certain cancers based on symptoms, or the potential for an incidental finding when someone attends the emergency department for another reason.
A key focus of the policy approach in Wales is to diagnose cancers at earlier, more treatable stages. This is why the NHS is referring people for investigation of cancer in record numbers, Health Education and Improvement Wales has rolled out diagnostic decision support to primary care practices, and why the NHS has introduced Rapid Diagnostic Centres for people with vague symptoms.