I am worried about bothering my GP when I hear about all the coronavirus about – should I wait?

No – you if you are worried about some symptoms, your GP will want to hear from you. However it may be that you are seen in a different way to the way you were used to.

You should contact your GP Practice, either by telephone or through their website, and let them know you are worried. If what you are worrying about doesn’t need a physical examination, your GP may carry out a telephone appointment at a predetermined time to discuss your symptoms and gather all the information required to decide the best way to assess your problem. If you need to be seen for perhaps a skin condition, they may ask you to send in a photograph through a secure portal or arrange a video call if appropriate.

Following this initial contact your GP, if required, may then invite you into the surgery so that they can take a closer look or do a focussed physical examination, tests or carry out a procedure. This is to minimise the amount of time you spend at the surgery. This is to minimise the risk of contracting COVID disease for you and the medical staff.

The surgery will have infection control and social distancing measures in place. Your GP or Nurse will be wearing appropriate personal protective equipment like face mask, aprons or gloves and you will be asked to wear a mask when you visit the surgery.

If your GP Practice needs to see you face to face to diagnose, following an initial contact they may offer you an appointment at the Practice at an appropriate time.

Always try and include as much information as possible. Some GP Practices have GPs or nurses with specialist interests in particular conditions, the more information you give will allow you to see someone who knows more about the condition, and may be able to help you more quickly.

We appreciate this is a change to what most people are used to but we are trying our best to provide good clinical care in difficult circumstances to protect you and the staff at the surgery.

But please do not ignore any problems, or wait and hope it gets better. Your GP want to hear from you if you need their help.

What about if I'm worried that I may have cancer - will treatment be delayed?

If you are worried about a lump which is unusual, and your GP suspects it may be cancerous, you will be referred to a specialist who will run tests such as an X-ray, Ultrasound scan or MRI. A biopsy, which means taking a sample of the lump, may be performed as well. These tests help to identify if a lump is a cancer (many are not) and if it is, how fast or slow a cancer may be growing, and whether or not it has spread elsewhere in your body.

Even though the coronavirus has meant a lot of specialist services have been delayed, hospital clinicians understand that some services can’t wait, so you should be contacted by the specialist team swiftly if a diagnosis of cancer is made. They will talk you through what treatment options are available to you, whether that’s surgery, or chemotherapy or radiotherapy. You will be part of choosing the best treatment for you.

Cancer can be a frightening word for some people and it may put them off seeking treatment, but cancer will not go away by itself and the sooner it is diagnosed, the more options there are for successful treatment.

There are several support organisations available for people with recent cancer diagnosis. They are often volunteers who have had similar diagnoses and treatments and may help answer your questions or allay any fears you may have.

For patients diagnosed with sarcoma, there is a charity that has specialist information and support: https://sarcoma.org.uk/

Two of the best-known cancer charities are: Cancer Research https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer and Macmillan Cancer Support: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/