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The number of hospital admissions due to cancer has soared by 96% between January 2015 and December 2021.
In 2015, there were a total of 3,441 hospital admissions due to cancer – including Inpatient, Day Case and Regular Day admissions. The number went up to 6,747 in 2021.
Meanwhile, the average monthly number went from 286.75 to 562.25.
The figures were released following a request to Government made under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Law. They showed that the monthly number of admissions has been steadily rising since 2015, topping 520.25 in 2019.
Pictured: A table showing hospital admissions due to cancer since 2015.
The number slightly dropped in 2020 with a total of 5,670, 9.18% less than in 2019, and a monthly average of 472.5.
Numbers however jumped by 18.99% in 2021, with monthly admissions ranging between 459 in January and 638 in July 2021.
The Government said the table showed the count of admissions under a specialty of Clinical Oncology, Medical Oncology or Clinical Haematology with the figures including both public and private patients.
“These figures represent patients who have commenced systemic anti-cancer therapy but would exclude some of those receiving oral chemotherapy in an outpatient setting,” they added.
“During the pandemic, systemic anti-cancer therapies continued as per normal throughout the pandemic period however, telephone consultations commenced for some patients and oral chemotherapies were posted to the patients. This group of patients are not included in the above figures as they were not admitted as inpatients.”
In their review of the Government Plan, the Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel noted that screening programmes had been affected by the pandemic with a backlog of patients on waiting lists.
Pictured: Breast screening is currently one year behind schedule.
The Panel said that whilst there was no backlog for cervical screening, there were concerns not enough people had come forward.
They added there was a delay for bowel screening, with patients who should have been seen in 2020 to be screened by November 2021, whilst breast screening was one year behind schedule.
In October 2021, Express submitted a FOI request for the waiting list figures for cancer screening services from 2019 to 2021.
The Government was however unable to provide the information, stating it was not held in a “reportable format”.
“Every effort has been made to provide the information requested within the time limit under the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011, however, this has not been possible,” they added.
“We can advise that there is an ongoing piece of work to review the processes which will hopefully enable provision of such data in the future.”
In his response to the Scrutiny review, Health Minister Deputy Richard Renouf said last week that cervical screening was “up to date, with “a large health promotion campaign” underway to increase the uptake of cervical screening.
Pictured: The Health Minister, Deputy Richard Renouf.
Breast screening remained 12 months behind schedule, however, but the Minister said new timetables and additional clinics were being planned to increase “clinical capacity”.
He said Faecal Immunochemical Testing (FIT) for bowel screening had started in November 2021 with tests being sent daily.
He added that the Government's 'Modernisation and Digital' wing had "started a significant project to automate the FIT testing process which, when operational, will allow more patients to be screened with less risk."
Cancers have been among the leading causes of death in the island since 2007.
In 2015, with 258 deaths, they accounted for a third of deaths, with cancer of the digestive, respiratory and intrathoracic organs together accounting for over half (52%) of all cancer deaths.
In 2020, cancers accounted for 33% of all deaths. They were the main cause of death for islanders of working age (44%).
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