Neil Guckian says Western Trust ‘best in NI’ breast cancer performance achieved despite 11.4% hike in red flag referrals
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00:00we're accepting that patients from elsewhere in Northern Ireland to make
00:04sure we minimize the total weight for Northern Ireland patients. So I want to
00:08just pay tribute to my clinical team for that regard. But we also have to
00:11look at the context. Red flag referrals for breast have gone up
00:16by 11.4% in my trust. So you can't just look at the
00:22weight, you have to look at the totality of the demand. And if resources and the
00:26actual ability to address that hasn't been tackled, well then there will be a
00:30slip into the future. If that 11% continues, well then clearly there's only a
00:34limited amount of service that you can deliver with a clinical team without
00:38increasing that team. Likewise, imaging is under intense pressure. 10% increase in
00:42MRIs, 10% increase per annum every year in CT scanning. That hasn't been
00:48resourced at all. So what happens? Something has to give. So our clinical
00:52teams, day and daily, are trying to prioritize their patients. You're
00:55absolutely right. Breast patients, patients with suspect breast cancer, need
01:00to be a priority. But which patient gives? That's the question that our
01:05clinical teams have to ask themselves every day. And I must admit I
01:10tick my hat off to them. They make that call really well, certainly in
01:13the West.