Watchdog Healthwatch Hertfordshire audited the sites of 103 practices in the county and found unreliable and outdated links to information about cancer at a time when patients could miss vital signs because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Its survey found 89% of websites provided some kind of advice for cancer patients, 61% provided a link to the Macmillan Covid-19 web page and 85% provided a link to some kind of cancer support group. The review, in June and July, found the quantity and quality of help varied enormously and in many cases proved difficult to find. Healthwatch Hertfordshire chief executive Geoff Brown said the best websites had a cancer heading on the home page that took patients to the ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ page, telling them what to do if they had a symptom they thought might be cancer and when to contact their doctor. However, for some sites, cancer information was not prominently displayed and links to the online cancer information were broken. “If GPs are expected to play a pivotal role in diagnosing cancer earlier and supporting the NHS Long Term Plan ambition to diagnose 75% of cancers at stage 1 or 2 by 2028, then information about what to look for and what to do needs to be much more prominently displayed on GP websites,” said Mr Brown. “Patients should be actively encouraged to call their doctor or complete an e-consultation if they’re at all concerned.”
This week, Parsonage Surgery had links to Be Clear on Cancer advice, while more limited information was available from South Street Surgery, including a link to an NHS signs and symptoms page, and there was healthy living advice from Church Street Surgery alongside a link to Cancer Research UK literature. East and North Hertfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group is the body responsible for delivering NHS services in the Bishop’s Stortford area. Rosie Connolly, its acting associate director for quality improvement, said in response to the survey:
“We recognise how important it is for GP practice websites to feature good-quality information which is both up to date and easy to find, especially when NHS services and how patients access them has changed dramatically.
About The Author
Harrison Okafor
editor
Judith is a believer, a lover of Christ and a Gospel freak person. A passionate gospel blogger and press writer. I work with GospelHitsNaija.net Media, no 1 Gospel music platform.
