Bupa and HCA Healthcare are combining on a specialist bowel cancer diagnosis and treatment pathway for the insurer’s members.
Specialist centres have been formed at three hospitals in London which will offer all initial cancer tests under one roof within four working days of calling Bupa.
And if needed, treatment is available within 31 days – twice the speed of national targets.
The first three hospitals included in the process are HCA’s The Wellington Hospital and London Bridge Hospital and Bupa’s Cromwell hospital, and there are plans to extend the network later this year.
To speed up access to cancer tests and treatment, Bupa customers who are worried about symptoms can call its Cancer Direct Access service to be referred to the new centres for usually without needing to see a GP, the insurer said.
There they can have all initial diagnostic tests and scans in the same appointment for a diagnosis and if it is not cancer, be given the all clear on the same day.
It added that patients using the specialist centres will have their treatment planned by a multidisciplinary team of oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, and cancer nurse specialists, and will also have access to clinical trials and genetic testing if appropriate.
Second biggest cause of cancer deaths
Bowel cancer is the second biggest cause of cancer deaths in the UK, with 43,000 people diagnosed each year.
Bupa said findings from its wellbeing index showed there were significant levels of confusion and embarrassment surrounding the disease and 35% of UK adults do not know the warning signs.
It said this was a contributing factor to people being diagnosed with bowel cancer at a much later stage when it’s harder to treat with a study published in the Lancet Oncology journal in April finding a third of UK cancer patients were first diagnosed after going to A&E with severe symptoms.
Bupa UK Insurance CEO Alex Perry highlighted that even a four-week delay in cancer treatment can significantly impact health outcomes, and that early diagnosis saves lives and that the insurer was building on its breast cancer pathway launched in 2019.
“We’re pleased to be expanding this service with HCA Healthcare UK and the Cromwell Hospital to include bowel cancer so that more of our customers can have even faster access to clinical experts and the very best care from diagnosis through to treatment,” he said.
HCA Healthcare UK president and CEO John Reay, of said: “Experiencing symptoms of cancer is an incredibly worrying time, and an early diagnosis is vital to improving long-term survival.
“An early cancer diagnosis provides a wider range of treatment options, and often improved treatment outcomes and quality of life.”