SPECIAL REPORT: The Christie on helping patients fight cancer during the pandemic
Manchester's cancer hospital say staff have worked tirelessly to clear backlogs and are now in a better position if there's a second wave.
All this we've reported how the coronavirus pandemic has had a crippling impact on cancer services.
It's resulted in major delays to the care people diagnosed with the disease have received during the height of lockdown, with approximately 38,000 fewer treatments than usual being carried out between March 23 and mid-July.
Cancer screenings and GP appointments to get symptoms checked also took a big hit, with levels slowly recovering.
It's something The Christie in Manchester have had to work through for the last few weeks as they continue to try and provide life-saving treatments to cancer patients during one of the worst health crises in a generation.
Dr Neil Bayman's a Consultant Oncologist at the cancer centre and explains at the start they were forced to make changes to the care they offer.
"Some treatments were paused. Some treatments were delayed."
As with many health settings they've had to drastically adapt how they work by introducing measures such as social-distancing between staff, regular swab testing of staff and patients, and spacing out appointment slots for tests and treatments.
Dr Bayman says they have now worked through the backlog: "Those patients who did not have their treatment at the time during the end of March/early April when we really at the peak - we've managed to work through that."
"We've worked day and night at The Christie to overcome those challenges and really have been able to keep a service up and running. Now we essentially have a normal, but adapted, service up and running so people who need cancer treatment are getting cancer treatment."
Preparing for a second wave of COVID-19
Across the NHS hospitals, and cancer centres like The Christie, are now preparing for a potential second wave of COVID-19 as we enter the autumn and winter months.
But with the big changes made to hospital settings to ensure environments where vulnerable cancer patients are being treated are 'COVID-protected sites'.
Dr Neil Bayman says they're "not being complacent, this isn't over by any means.
"We are still working just as hard to make sure that if we are hit with another outbreak of the virus that we are in a better position to respond to it because we are learning from the adaptations we have had to make."
He pays tribute to the frontline staff who have gone above and beyond to make sure The Christie can continue to operate.
"People who might usually work in a laboratory environment are now working at the front door screening patients as they're coming through.
"People are The Christie have really had to expand and work in different roles and have absolutely met that challenge 100%."
You can read more on our special reports on the impact the pandemic is having on cancer services here.