// BBC HEALTH NEWS — SALUTE
GP 10-minute appointment slots 'making it harder to do cancer checks'
Dr Amara Naseem says GPs are under pressure to offer more appointments, rather than a focus on quality treatment
Pressure to provide more GP appointments is making it harder to include checks for gynaecological cancers within the 10-minute slots, doctors have said.
Dr Amara Naseem says her clinics always overrun as it takes about 20 minutes to sensitively take a detailed history and carry out internal examinations.
A reduced number of practices in her area means she has taken on more patients and fears there is a risk that women will not raise gynaecological symptoms or attend screenings if appointments are rushed, painful or not handled well.
The Welsh government said it was increasing investment in primary care and recruiting up to 100 extra GPs.
Research by cancer charity Tenovus, in support of Claire's Campaign, external, found about half of the 100 GPs surveyed across Wales felt limited consultation time was a major concern.
A third also had concerns about "over-referring" people for further testing to rule out cancers, given hospitals are already overstretched.
Currently, 95% of patients put on the suspected cancer pathway are later told they do not have cancer.
But doctors said teasing out the cancer cases at an early stage could be challenging when symptoms such as bloating are hard to distinguish from benign conditions including irritable bowel syndrome.
Naseem said the pressure from the Welsh government was to "offer more appointments to the patient, rather than about the quality of the treatment".