The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Breast cancer service fears
TAYSIDE: Future care not guaranteed if staff unavailable
Fears for the future of breast cancer care have been raised after the boss of NHS Tayside said he could not guarantee the services would continue.
Chief executive Grant Archibald told
Holyrood’s public audit committee the departure of several individuals from the oncology team meant a consultant from NHS Grampian has had to step in.
“Our wish, absolutely, would be that we would provide local services for local women,” he said.
“However, I can’t give a guarantee if the staffing is not available.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to intervene. Jenny Marra MSP said there was a “grave danger” that women will go without treatment.
Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to step in to secure the future of breast cancer treatment in Dundee after the chief executive of NHS Tayside said he cannot guarantee local services will continue.
Grant Archibald told Holyrood’s public audit committee he is unable to make long-term promises about care in the region following the departure of several individuals from the health board’s oncology team.
Services are currently being supported by a consultant oncologist from NHS Grampian, who has been seeing all new neoadjuvant breast cancer chemotherapy patients in Tayside since September 2020 in order to “cover vacancies”.
The specialist sees about three people a week while existing staff in Dundee continue to see other breast cancer patients.
NHS Tayside’s oncology team was thrown into turmoil in early 2019 following the revelation that around 200 patients were given lower-thanstandard doses of chemotherapy drugs in a bid to reduce harmful side-effects.
A Scottish Governmentcommissioned review said the treatment resulted in a 1-2% increased risk of their cancer recurring, but one of the experts behind the claim later privately admitted it was “flawed, probably, but the best that could be done, really”.
Doctors in Tayside reported being physically threatened following its publication. The findings of several other reports were also disputed and last month The Courier revealed a senior doctor at the centre of a botched review voluntarily removed his name from the medical register after being reprimanded over an undeclared conflict of interest.
Mr Archibald acknowledged there had been “challenges around our delivery of breast cancer services in Tayside”
and said in recent months one member of the team had “returned to their native country” and another had resigned.
“Our wish, absolutely, would be that we would provide local services for local women,” Mr Archibald said. “However, I can’t give a guarantee if the staffing is not available.”
He said he wanted to give an absolute commitment that the intention was to provide excellent services that were “safe for staff, safe for patients” across all NHS care in Tayside.
“In this particular area, it has been difficult,” he added.
“I will need to look to find ways to ensure we can recruit to that service before I could give a commitment absolutely that I can guarantee the service will be there.”
North East MSP Jenny Marra, who is convener of the public audit committee, said it would be a “grave shame” if the future of local treatment was put at risk.
Speaking later, Ms Marra said: “The future of the breast cancer service in Dundee is now in jeopardy because the health secretary and NHS Tayside bosses let politics get in the way and refused to stand with their doctors who, as the scientific evidence shows, were acting in the best interests of their patients.
“The first minister needs to guarantee the long-term future of the breast cancer centre in Dundee.
“If she doesn’t, the grave danger is that women will go without treatment because they will not be able to travel.”
Patients and families affected by the treatment have repeatedly called on Health Secretary Jeane Freeman and Ms Sturgeon to discuss their care, but to date no meeting has been arranged.
Calls for ministers to set up a public inquiry have also gone unheeded.
A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said: “Providing safe and effective services for all patients will always be the priority for NHS Tayside. To do this, we must have the specialist staff in place to run services.”
“NHS Tayside is fortunate to be part of the North Cancer Alliance, which connects all the boards in the north of Scotland and provides a regional network to ensure patients across the area have access to cancer services.
“This type of network is invaluable, especially in more specialist areas,” the spokeswoman added.
She said the board’s clinical leadership team is continuing to monitor the situation closely.
The Scottish Government says it is “fully supportive of a continued cancer service in NHS Tayside”.
A spokesperson said: “Diagnosing and treating cancer has been and will remain a key clinical priority through the Covid19 pandemic and we are supporting services in our new cancer recovery plan, with planned investment of up to £114.5 million over the next two years.”
“The first minister needs to guarantee the long-term future of the breast cancer centre in Dundee