Delays as Glasgow PET scan centre hit by staff shortages

The Glasgow Times can reveal that crippling staffing levels have recently saw recommended reporting times of around eight to ten days for PET scans to slip for cases not deemed priorities.

It is understood at one point earlier this year, there was only one qualified radiologist to handle all the PET imaging being done at the The West of Scotland PET Centre, which is based at the Gartnavel Hospital Campus in Glasgow, the city’s sole base for carrying out the complex cancer scans.

One patient told the Glasgow Times how he received a heartbreaking terminal cancer verdict after waiting weeks for a PET to be reported.

He said: “I was told on the day I attended that the department was under a bit of pressure and things were taking a little longer than the normal eight days for imaging to be looked at.

“Almost six weeks passed, and my scan still hadn’t been reported on and this was despite my consultant chasing it daily. That is difficult at the best of times, but when the news could be life or death, it really takes a toll on you.

“When it did come back, the news was it had shown my cancer had spread and was now at a point where is was considered incurable. I was utterly devastated.”

A PET scan is an imaging test that uses a radioactive drug called a tracer to show a typical and a-typical metabolic activity. The scan produces detailed three dimensional images of the inside of the body, which highlight any abnormal areas. The tracer settles in spots what have high levels of chemical activity and reveals biochemical function of tissues or organs. They are often used by doctors to confirm a cancer diagnosis or ascertain spread of the disease.

The Glasgow man, 48, told how he had previously gone through surgery last year to remove a stage three tumour from his bowel before adjuvant chemotherapy designed to mop up any remaining cancer cells.

He added: “The message you hear always around cancer is how key early detection is. I thought this scan would give me the all clear, but I also thought it showed anything we would be in a position to get moving quickly with any necessary treatment.

“As a result of the delay, I’ve lost months, during which time my health has deteriorated to the point I almost didn’t make it to palliative chemotherapy. My consultant and his secretary were chasing for results almost daily, and stressing the importance of them, but it just seemed there was no way to speed up the process.

“This is costing lives. Everyone knows that catching cancer early can be the difference. Delays running into months for such vital results are unacceptable and I feel for all the people who will be suffering that agony right now the way I did.”

Another woman revealed she has waiting four weeks for a similar scan.

She said: “I’m worried about the time being lost, knowing if my cancer has spread it could prove pivotal in what happens next. It’s fine having leading oncologist and surgeons, but if they don’t know what they are facing, how can they work effectively?”

Reading PET scans is a highly specialised role and it is believed that a number of retirals involving people skilled in the discipline, alongside experienced people quitting the health care sector amid fear of burnout, has left Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board struggling to cope.

Gartnavel campus houses the PET Centre unit. (Image: Newsquest)

One whistleblower said: “This has been a crisis that has been looming for a longer time – the cheque has been in the post. You can’t have one person trying to report on all the scans for an area this large, apart from anything else, that’s how mistakes are made.

"It’s just another example of the mess the health service is in, and it’s only going to get worse if people keep leaving because of the conditions and stress there are under.”

A spokesperson for Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board admitted the unit was facing pressures.

They added: "The PET Centre at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is currently facing some staffing issues which are having an impact on reporting times. We would like to apologise to anyone who feels the standard of care they have received has fallen below the level they would expect.

"These pressures are not unique to NHSGGC, and health boards throughout the country are facing similar difficulties. We have put plans in place to help mitigate their impact and address staffing issues going forward.

"In the meantime our staff are doing all they can to minimise disruption to the service we provide, and we would like to thank them all for their continued hard work and commitment."