Waiting times target missed in fifth of cases

A key waiting times target for patients needing cancer treatment is being missed in almost a fifth of cases, new figures have revealed.

While the Scottish Government has set the target of having 95% of urgent referrals starting treatment within 62 days, official data showed this only happened in 81.4% of cases in the first three months of this year.

Performance against the waiting times target has fallen from the 90.8% achieved by the NHS in Scotland three years ago and is down from 82.7% in the final quarter of 2019.

Tayside and Fife were both above the national average at 88.4% and 84.8%, respectively. The maximum wait in Tayside was 126 days and in Fife, 139.

Opposition politicians said cancer waiting times had become a “national scandal”, while health campaigners said the statistics showed there were not enough staff to meet the target despite medics “working harder than ever”.

Gregor McNie, Cancer Research UK’s head of external affairs in Scotland, said: “Many patients are still waiting too long after an urgent GP referral to get a diagnosis and start treatment.

“For anyone going through tests and treatment for cancer, it’s an incredibly anxious time and delays can make that worse.”

Health Secretary Jeanne Freeman said: “Our revised Endoscopy Action Plan, backed by £6 million, aims to ensure new patients are seen within six weeks for key endoscopic tests.

“The most urgent patients, including those suspected with cancer, will be prioritised and seen between two to three weeks.

“This builds on our £850m Waiting Times Improvement Plan.”