PATIENTS FACE LONG DISTANCE LOTTERY
20,000 Scots forced to travel up to 600 miles to receive life-saving NHS treatment
THOUSANDS of Scots cancer patients are forced to travel up to 600 miles for life-saving treatment – many at their own expense.
Vulnerable adults and children are attending specialist appointments, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and undergoing operations often hours away from home and family – with some having to go to England.
Figures obtained by the Scottish Daily Mail reveal that at least 20,000 patients have spent up to a day travelling in order to attend key diagnostic appointments, treatments and follow-ups in the past three years.
Yesterday, health chiefs said patients had to travel as some health boards do not offer vital cancer treatments.
The revelation prompted campaigners and politicians to hit out at the ‘appalling’ situation.
As well as the effect on patients, concerns have been raised over
the financial impact on those having to pay for petrol, bus fares, train tickets and taxis to take them to appointments.
Figures released under Freedom of Information legislation reveal some cancer patients may have to travel more than 300 miles each way for life-saving and prolonging treatment due to lack of local services.
Some patients undertake lengthy journeys for appointments of only ten minutes.
NHS Highland revealed 11,501 patients travelled to health boards across the country – including as far as the NHS Ayrshire and Arran area. This means a patient in Thurso could be forced into a more than 600-mile round trip to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock – nearly 12 hours by car.
The health board confirmed it also sent patients to other health boards, including Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Tayside and Fife.
NHS Borders said it could not reveal the number of patients, but there had been 6,854 occasions since 2014 when cancer sufferers were sent outside its area. This included trips to hospitals in Cumbria, Newcastle and Northumbria.
Scottish Lib Dem health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton said: ‘It is appalling to see patients are travelling such long distances to receive life-saving treatments. Such a journey takes people away from loved ones and adds an extra burden on someone who is already under a lot of strain.
‘We need to make sure we minimise this and ensure Scotland has effective cancer treatment services across the country.’
NHS Fife said a ‘large number’ of cancer patients are treated outwith the area. Some are treated in NHS Tayside, while most needing chemotherapy and radiotherapy will go to NHS Lothian as NHS Fife does ‘not carry out’ these services.
NHS Grampian said 1,640 patients had travelled for treatment. NHS Lanarkshire said 1,226 patients had to go elsewhere. It said any patient forced to travel would be offered transport – including an ambulance and driver services.
NHS Ayrshire and Arran said 1,090 patients had gone to Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the Lothians, the Highlands and Dumfries and Galloway. NHS Forth Valley said 805 patients travelled for treatment.
It is estimated some cancer patients can spend more than £100 a week on travel. Some have reported financial problems.
Janice Malone of Macmillan Cancer Support said: ‘‘If someone lives hours away from a hospital, they need to know they don’t need to accept an appointment at a time that means they’ll need a hotel stay or get up at 4am.
‘If someone only needs a ten-minute conversation with a consultant and no physical exam, there’s no need to make them travel for hours to hospital when a phone call would be just as effective.’
The number of patients forced to travel is likely to be higher than 20,000, as some health boards, including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Dumfries and Galloway, did not provide figures.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Cancer treatment is highly specialised and for some patients it may be necessary to travel outwith their health board area to access the specialist clinical support required at the most appropriate cancer centre. We support two patient travel schemes to help with travelling expenses.’
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