More than half of cancer test waits longer than six weeks
The Scottish Government aims to see patients who require one of the eight tests within six weeks.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.More than half of the people waiting to receive a key cancer test have not been seen within the six-week target, official figures show.
Some 141,262 patients were still to receive an MRI scan, CT scan, colonoscopy, endoscopy or ultrasound as of December 31 – a 12.5% rise since September.
The latest NHS figures released on Tuesday show that 50.4% of those on the waiting list have not been seen within the Scottish Government’s six-week target, a jump from 42.2% since the previous quarter.
A leading cancer charity described the figures as “deeply concerning”.
The number of patients waiting more than a year for an endoscopy also rose, from 11.2% to 13%.
According to the Government’s standards, no patient should wait more than six weeks for one of the eight tests, although this target has not been met since 2010.
The size of the waiting list, the statistics show, is 59.8% bigger than the average for the year before the onset of the pandemic.
The figures coincide with the release of statistics on hospital waiting times – where the Scottish Government aims to ensure patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from their referral before treatment begins.
More than a quarter of those referred for hospital treatment missed the 18-week target, the figures show.
Of the 213,889 patients seen between early October and the end of December, 74.3% were seen within the target time, a drop of 0.8% from the previous quarter and 5.2% lower than the quarterly average from before the pandemic.
Staff shortages are at the heart of these delays, and we need to see urgent action
David Ferguson, public affairs manager for Cancer Research UK in Scotland, said the figures are “deeply concerning”.
“For some patients, delays to diagnosis and starting treatment could make it more difficult to treat their cancer successfully,” he said.
“We remain very worried that very little progress is being made in clearing the backlog caused by the pandemic.”
He added: “Staff shortages are at the heart of these delays, and we need to see urgent action.
“This month’s Scottish Budget contained record funding for health and social care.
“What we need to know now is how this will translate into investment in the workforce and equipment needed to ensure Scotland has sufficient resource to test and diagnose cancer.
“We also need to see the long-overdue NHS workforce strategy published without delay.”