Action urged to tackle ‘cancer care crisis’ as waiting times performance falls

The Scottish Government is being urged to tackle the country’s “cancer care crisis” after performance against key waiting times standards fell again.

Labour health spokeswoman Dame Jackie Baillie made the plea after Public Health Scotland data showed less than three-quarters of patients start receiving treatment within 62 days of first being referred for help when cancer is suspected.

With Labour, the Tories and the Liberal Democrats all demanding action from Health Secretary Neil Gray, Dame Jackie said: “Scotland is in the grips of a cancer care crisis with targets being missed again and again.

“Thousands of Scots are waiting far too long to get the cancer care that they desperately need while SNP Government targets are broken across the country.”

The Scottish Government has set the target of 95% of patients starting treatment within 62 days of first being referred, but this has not been met since the final three months of 2012.

The latest figures, covering the final quarter of 2023, show that of the 4,457 people referred, 71.1% of patients started receiving treatment within the target time.

That was down from 71.9% in the previous quarter, Public Health Scotland said, and below the 83.7% of patients who started treatment within the target time in the last three months of 2019, prior to the Covid pandemic.

In the period October to December 2023, only one health board – NHS Orkney – met the 62-day standard, with 100% of patients starting cancer treatment within this time.

In NHS Shetland, only 50% of patients started cancer treatment within two months of first being referred, while in NHS Grampian the figure was 54.4%.

A second target that 95% of cancer patients should start any treatment within 31 days of a decision being made to treat them was “narrowly missed”, Public Health Scotland said.

This target was achieved for 94.1% of the 6,829 eligible patients during the period October to December last year. That was down from 94.9% the previous quarter, and compares to 96.5% in the final quarter of 2019.

Dame Jackie said: “We know the pandemic led to an increase of undiagnosed cancer cases, but the Government’s promises on recovery in cancer services are meaningless as far too many patients are not seen within the performance standard.

“Cancer is Scotland’s biggest killer, and we know that early detection and treatment leads to better outcomes – but the fact is that the SNP Government’s failure to support NHS staff is creating a cancer care timebomb.”

Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “Scotland continues to face a terrifying ticking timebomb of cancer cases on the SNP’s watch.

“It should be a source of shame for them that well over a quarter of cancer patients are waiting over two months to begin treatment.

“Everyone knows someone who has been diagnosed with this awful disease and how critical it is to start treatment quickly to boost their chances of survival.

“Successive SNP health secretaries have failed to meet this target for over a decade and cannot hide behind Covid as an excuse for these shocking stats.

“Neil Gray must get a grip on cancer waiting times urgently, otherwise more patients will face the devastating consequences.”

Mr Gray said while the NHS “remains under pressure”, more patients are being treated than before the pandemic.

He added: “We’re treating more patients on 62 and 31-day pathways than before the Covid-19 pandemic – over 700 more and over 400 more respectively in this latest quarter.

“The 31-day standard was narrowly missed this quarter, and the median wait for treatment was just five days.

“Nevertheless, we remain absolutely committed to reducing waiting times and a further £10 million of funding has been given in 2023-24 to support this improvement.

“Cancer remains a national priority for the NHS and Scottish Government, which is why we published a new 10-year strategy in June 2023, focused on improving cancer survival and providing equitable access to treatment.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said with waiting times at “some of their worst ever levels”, the Health Secretary should be “pulling out all the stops”.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “I am concerned that we are moving in the wrong direction and that if things don’t improve fast, the Government’s strategy risks becoming meaningless to everyone suffering these long waits.

“I want to see the Health Secretary pulling out all the stops to cut waiting times. Staff and patients are tired of being continually failed by a Government that can’t match its words with action.”