Cancer tests scandal
Call for action as it’s revealed targets haven’t been hit since December 2012
SCOTLAND has now failed to meet a crucial cancer target for more than seven years.
The 62-day standard means patients who doctors suspect of having cancer should have tests and treatment started within two months. And 95 per cent of all patients should be seen in this time.
But the last time the standard was met was in
December 2012. The figures have improved slightly since the previous quarter but there were still only 84.7 per cent of patients diagnosed and starting treatment in time.
Only two health boards met the target – NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Borders – in the quarter ending March 2020.
In Orkney, more than a quarter of patients waited longer than 62 days, with just 71.4 per cent treated within the time frame.
However, the 31-day standard of patients, once diagnosed, beginning treatment within a month was reached for the third successive quarter.
Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman, Monica Lennon, has called for higher priority to be given to cancer treatment in the aftermath of Covid-19.
She said: “It is deeply concerning that too many people are still waiting too long for cancer treatment.”
Macmillan’s head of services in Scotland, Janice Preston, said: “These figures are a stark reminder that the system wasn’t working as it should long before the pandemic.
“Just going back to normal isn’t good enough. We need to see the issues behind the missed targets identified and addressed as a matter of urgency or people with cancer will face many more years of delays to diagnosis and treatment.”
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Emergency departments remain open for people who need immediate care.
“But we would urge those with non-urgent concerns to use the alternative treatment options available, which are often more convenient and closer to home.”
Figures also revealed that in the third week of June, A&E departments saw the highest number of patients since the Covid-19 lockdown began.
There were 21,356 attendances at A&E departments for the week ending June 21, an increase of 2097 on the week before.
Dryer sparked fire
Fire ripped through a garage at a home in Duddingston Drive, Kirkcaldy, on Monday night after a tumble dryer inside burst into flames.