Bring back retired doctors to tackle waiting time crisis

CANCER experts have called for doctors to be lured out of retirement to deal with Scotland’s waiting times crisis.

Radiologists, who diagnose cancer from scans, could be kept in the NHS beyond retirement to deal with a national shortage.

Gregor McNie, Cancer Research UK’s head of external affairs in Scotland, said the move could work in the short term to tackle delays.

He also urged that other NHS staff be trained to diagnose cancer.

Only 87 per cent of patients are seen within the Scottish Government’s target of 62 days between an urgent referral for a suspicion of cancer to their first treatment.

Mr McNie warned that this causes further anxiety to patients who have to wait longer for crucial results.

Scotland has only eight radiologists per 100,000 population compared with the European average of 12, while a total of 14 per cent of consultant posts are vacant.

It is estimated that up to 19 per cent of clinical radiology consultants north of the Border will retire by 2020.

The Royal College of Radiologists has already warned the service is on the ‘brink of collapse’ in Scotland.

Mr McNie said: ‘The pressure point is round diagnostic tests and that is not good for patients. This is a really anxious time and waiting increases anxiety. We need to sort this out for the future.

‘The NHS needs to look at how it can keep people on its books after retirement age. We need to look at reconsidering the terms for people who want to retire and how that could be changed to retain staff.’

Mr McNie added: ‘We have radiology professionals and radiographers who support them who could be upskilled to be able to read images for low-risk patients. If we do nothing we will have more saturation in the service that will make the patient experience worse and increase anxiety for those waiting beyond the target time.’

Dr Grant Baxter, chairman of the Royal College of Radiologists’ Standing Scottish Committee, said: ‘In the short term, retaining radiologists and radiographers of retirement age would make a significant contribution to the NHS.

‘However, long-term growth can only be achieved through increasing the number of radiologist trainees.

‘There is no such thing as high or low-risk patients when a potential diagnosis of cancer is concerned and “low-risk” patients may harbour an undiagnosed cancer.

‘What is key is that scans are interpreted by an appropriate medical expert.’

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs said: ‘The vacancy rates among consultant radiologists are a direct result of this SNP Scottish Government’s failure to put in place a proper national NHS workforce plan.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The number of consultant radiologists has increased by more than 40 per cent over the past decade and an extra £3million will boost trainee numbers by at least another 50 over the next five years.’

‘On the brink of collapse’