Targets for referring and treating people for cancer are still not being met
Alison Johnstone, Health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP for Lothian, today (28 March) expressed concern that targets for referring and treating people for cancer are still not being met.
The NHS standard is that 95 per cent of patients should start their first treatment within 62 days of being referred. Figures for the final quarter of last year show that only 87.5 per cent of patients started treatment within 62 days.
Only five health boards - Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, Lanarkshire, Orkney and Shetland - met the target.
Alison Johnstone MSP said:
"It's essential we have early diagnosis and treatment of cancer, so the failure to meet waiting times targets four years in a row is deeply concerning. The NHS workforce is under huge pressure, and we need Scottish Ministers to prioritise efforts to recruit and retain additional staff.
"Health boards must do more to show why they are missing the targets. It's in all our interests to improve services for cancer patients."