Lib Dems publish cancer action plan which could provide ‘lifeline’ for patients

The Scottish Government is being urged to adopt an action plan to improve cancer testing and diagnosis, which Liberal Democrats claim could provide a “lifeline” to patients and their families.

The party has drawn up an “ambitious and dynamic” series of actions – including the rollout of home tests for cervical cancer for women who fail to attend for screening.

The Lib Dems also want the current target of having 60% of home test kits for bowel cancer returned increased.

Other measures in their action plan, details of which have been unveiled on World Cancer Day, include expanding testing capacity in every health board in Scotland and “reinvigorating” the Scottish Government’s Detect Cancer Early Programme with new ways of promoting the importance of screening.

Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said such changes could “offer a lifeline to cancer patients and their loved ones”.

It came after Cancer Research UK warned the NHS could be “overwhelmed” by an increase in cancer cases over the next two decades.

The health charity projected that if current trends continue, the number of cases of cancer diagnosed each year in Scotland could rise from 34,100 a year to 42,100 by 2040.

It also projected that over the same period, annual deaths could rise to 19,100 – up 17% from the current total of 16,400.

Meanwhile, Scotland’s cancer treatment waiting times fell to their worst performance on record in the period July to September 2022, with 74.7% of patients starting treatment within the 62-day standard – well below the Scottish Government target of 95%.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “Every Scot will know someone who has had a cancer diagnosis and far too many will remember the hole in their lives that it left them with.

“Scotland is lagging well behind other parts of the UK for a prostate cancer diagnosis and cancer wait times have climbed to the worst on record.

“Everyone knows the importance of early intervention in tackling cancers but the backlogs brought on by the pandemic and 15 years of SNP health service mismanagement have left staff and patients under severe strain.

“Today, I am setting out a series of actions that could offer a lifeline to cancer patients and their loved ones.

“Boosting accessible testing and screening, increasing the target for returning bowel cancer home tests, and launching a national rollout of home tests for cervical cancer for those not attending their screening would go some way towards removing barriers and boosting uptake.

“Similarly, we all know that educating people about the signs and symptoms of cancer is fundamental, so we must invest in campaigns and networks which will build that awareness.

“Cancer care requires an ambitious and dynamic response – Scottish Liberal Democrats will continue to press for measures that will bring down waits and ensure that more cases are caught before it is too late.”