NHS CANCER DOCTORS CRISIS
At least 14 new senior consultants urgently needed – just to meet basic demand for care
THE NHS in Scotland is facing a cancer crisis – with doctors warning that the health service may soon struggle to treat patients suffering from the disease.
The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) claims there is a severe shortage of cancer specialists working north of the Border.
It warns that, if the health service does not recruit more oncologists soon, it will fail to meet even basic cancer care demand as it recovers from the pandemic.
Experts estimate Scotland needs at least 14 more oncologists – who carry out life-saving treatments such as chemotherapy – to meet critical targets, as the NHS battles to clear a massive cancer backlog.
Cancer charities last night said disruption to the cancer treatment pathway owing to the pandemic, which saw 7,000 fewer people diagnosed with the disease in 2020 compared with the previous year, would continue for years.
In May, it was revealed 100,000 people are still waiting for key diagnostic tests, prompting the Scottish Government to set up an emergency £10 million fund to plug gaps in care, with much of the money used for early diagnostic centres.
But last night doctors pointed out there was no point in spending millions on new services if there aren’t enough staff to run them.
Dr Tom Roques, clinical oncology workforce lead at the RCR, said: ‘The RCR’s most recent oncologist workforce data reveals staff shortages continue across Scotland, and these will undoubtedly impact the delivery of cancer services.
‘The Scottish Government’s new cancer plan, published at the end of 2020, focuses on cancer diagnostic centres, patient-centred care and ongoing commitment to cancer services, all of which requires an adequate and resilient cancer workforce.’
He added: ‘Ultimately, the ongoing pressures of the pandemic continue to impact staff availability, health and wellbeing, and there is a risk the predicted staff shortage will worsen in the coming years.
‘Urgent investment in the cancer workforce is needed to tackle waiting times, share best practice and implement new treatments and techniques in every cancer centre. Now more than ever, we need a plan to support and expand Scotland’s clinical oncology workforce.’
Cancer Research UK in Scotland backed the RCR’s calls and said that although it welcomed investment in services, there were simply not enough hands on deck to keep them going.
A spokesman said: ‘There have been some welcome measures put forward to address the backlogs in diagnosis, such as the announcement of early cancer diagnostic centres as a new route for diagnosis, but again these centres need the specialist staff to ensure people don’t endure long and anxious waits to find out if the symptoms they’ve reported turn out to be cancer.’
He added: ‘We also await details of the promised NHS recovery plan, which was expected within the first 100 days of the new SNP government. This plan hasn’t materialised and we believe this would be a good opportunity to put forward longterm measures to address staff shortages that we are keen to see from the Scottish Government.’
Before Covid, there were about 34,000 new diagnoses of cancer a year in Scotland, with around four in ten of us expected to get cancer at some point in our lives. Those numbers are increasing, with newborns expected to have a one-in-two lifetime risk of getting the disease.
New RCR figures show there are 83 clinical oncologists working in Scotland. But the organisation has calculated that the workforce is working at about 15 per cent under capacity – and says it needs ‘at least another 14 to meet demand and plug vacancies’.
Nicola Sturgeon is expected to announce further programmes to aid cancer services in her NHS recovery plan.
The Scottish Government defended its record, saying: ‘At a time when the NHS continues to meet one of the biggest challenges in its history, cancer will remain a top priority for this Government.’
‘Risk that predicted staff shortage will worsen’