CANCER charities have described as “deeply concerning” new figures showing patient waiting times for tests have risen by 300% over the past two years.
As of June 30 this year, official NHS statistics show 18,644 people waited more than the target six weeks for diagnostic tests, out of a total of 87,482
That compares to 4,750 patients as of June 2016, an increase of 292.5%.
Gregor McNie, Cancer Research UK’s head of external affairs, said: “These statistics suggest that the NHS in Scotland does not have enough staff to be as effective as possible in diagnosing cancer.
“This situation is deeply concerning, particularly as demand for tests is only going to grow due to an aging population and efforts to diagnose more people at an early stage.
Health Secretary Jeanne Freeman said: “Meeting the challenge of improving performance and reducing waits requires the twin approach of investment and reform. That’s why we recently allocated an additional £6 million to reduce waiting times for endoscopies, with a focus on the most urgent patients, including those with suspected cancer.”
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here