Scottish cancer waiting times performance at record low

Almost a quarter of people being referred with urgent suspicion of cancer are waiting longer than the 62-day target for their first treatment.

New figures from Public Health Scotland show performance against the target fell to 76.9% in the first three months of 2022.

The rate was the lowest since records began a decade ago.

The Scottish government said meeting the target "remains challenging" and more must be done to improve waits.

The Public Health Scotland report looks at two key cancer waiting targets

The 31-day standard, which measures the time from a decision to treat to the start of first treatment for newly-diagnosed primary cancers, was met - with 96.3% of patients being seen within this timeframe.

The 62-day standard is based on the time from urgent suspicion of cancer referral to first cancer treatment.

It showed there were 3,861 eligible referrals, down 6.8% on the previous quarter, but almost 900 did not start treatment within the two-month target.

Wake-up call

Janice Preston, of Macmillan Cancer Support in Scotland, said any delay in receiving a cancer diagnosis and starting treatment caused a huge amount of worry and distress.

She said: "These latest figures show a struggling system which cannot meet demand - despite the hard work of staff - and this must be addressed urgently."

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said the figures should be a source of shame for Health Secretary Humza Yousaf.

"When a patient comes to see me with signs of cancer, I act quickly because time is vital to their survival - yet these figures highlight a truly terrifying reality when it comes to cancer diagnosis in Scotland," he said.

Scottish Labour's Jackie Baillie called the figures "catastrophic" and said they must be a wake-up call for the Scottish government.

"The SNP have ignored warning after warning about the mounting pressure on cancer services, and there is no doubt that this shameful negligence will cost lives," she said.

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton said the figures painted a "bleak picture".

"This has been going on for far too long," he said. "The Scottish government needs to urgently get a grip of cancer care and treatment. That means setting out a timeline for hitting these targets and putting place the staff and resources to make that happen. Making patients wait for this action is unacceptable."

A Scottish government spokesman said: "Limiting the impact of Covid-19 on cancer patients has remained a top priority throughout the pandemic. NHS Scotland remains focused on delivering high-quality care in the safest possible way to those who need it most.

"The 31-day standard has been consistently met throughout the Covid-19 pandemic with a median wait of four days.

"However, the 62-day standard remains challenging for this quarter with a median wait of 47 days and we must do more.

The spokesman said the government was investing in ways to support cancer waiting times improvements, including up-skilling nurses and investing in diagnostic tests to reduce backlogs.