Failing on Cancer Wait Target

The NHS in Scotland is failing to meet cancer waiting time targets, official figures have revealed.

The Scottish Executive said that between January and March this year 84.5% of all cancer patients started treatment within two months - down from 84.8% in the previous three months.

The target for all cancer patients to start treatment within two months of being urgently referred by their GP should have been met by the end of 2005.
Although there was an improvement for some types of cancer, waiting times for others got worse. Lung cancer performance fell from 89.1% to 83.1%, while breast cancer performance fell from 95.9% to 94.2%.

Scotland's Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said she has asked for weekly reports from all Health Boards to ensure they get on track to meet the new target of 95% by the end of the year.

"If anyone was in any doubt about the scale of challenge Boards face to meet the 95%, these latest statistics should make things crystal clear," said Sturgeon. "This target should have been met by the end of 2005 and the fact is that this is now long overdue. It is vital that patients get the best treatment, appropriate to their needs, as quickly as possible."

The Health Insurance Magazine: 22 August 2007