Pilot scheme will allow pharmacists to refer potential cancer cases directly to hospital

Pharmacists in England will be able to assess people with potential signs of cancer and refer them directly to hospital as part of a new pilot scheme aiming to speed up diagnosis and catch up on the backlog of care.

GP leaders said they supported any initiative that aims to speed up cancer diagnosis but warned that pharmacists could miss cases if they didn’t have training that matches the standards that GPs work to.

It is not clear what criteria pharmacists will be using to refer people. NHS England has said only that people with symptoms including a cough that lasts for three weeks or more, difficulty swallowing, or blood in their urine will be referred directly for scans and checks without needing to see a GP if the pharmacist thinks it could be cancer.

Further details including the number of pharmacies involved in the pilot programme and the amount of extra …