NHS Grampian has recorded the worst cancer waits in Scotland with almost half of patients waiting longer than two months to receive their first treatment after being referred, new figures have laid bare.
The health board admitted it is under “extreme pressure” in recent weeks, including a critical incident leading to ambulances being re-directed to other hospitals.
Official figures released on Tuesday by Public Health Scotland reveal the extent of the worsening crisis.
Between July and September, just over half (53.9%) of NHS Grampian cancer patients received their first treatment within the 62-day target – the worst performance in Scotland.
It means a total of 210 patients – almost half – were left waiting longer than two months from the point at which an urgent referral was made for suspicion of cancer.
We looked at the publicly available data from 2012 which also confirms it is the health board’s joint worst cancer waits performance on record.
The performance is in stark contrast to NHS Lanarkshire where 95.4% of patients met this target – the only health board in Scotland to meet the target.
Meanwhile, the health board was also one of only four in Scotland to fail to meet a target to see 95% of patients within 31 days from the decision to treat.
A total of 88.4% of patients were treated on time – again the worst performance in Scotland. But 87 patients at Grampian waited longer than this.
‘Utterly shocking’
North East Conservative MSP Tess White said it is “utterly shocking” that almost half of cancer patients did not start treatment within two months.
She added: “Frankly, these lengthy waiting times at NHS Grampian should be a source of shame for SNP ministers, who have allowed this situation to spiral out of control.”
NHS Grampian told Public Health Scotland that demand continues to be high and “current workforce capacity does not match this”.
There was also a “period of failure” at the health board’s central decontamination unit – which sterilises and prepares surgical equipment.
This led to the cancellation of dozens of operations at a time when surgical capacity was already under pressure.
The report states diagnostic capacity “continues to be a challenge”, particularly in radiology, endoscopy and urology, where demand outweighs capacity.
Health Secretary ‘must do more’
Finance Secretary Shona Robison set out her budget at Holyrood earlier this month which includes a “record” £21 billion for health and social care.
In a statement provided to the P&J, Health Secretary Neil Gray referenced national figures which show an average wait for the 62-day standard is 49 days to treatment.
However, in Grampian, patients wait on average of 11 days longer than this.
He added: “Nevertheless, I recognise that we must do more to ensure cancer patients are treated faster.
“To help tackle waiting times, we have allocated £11.3 million in 2024/25 with a focus on the three most challenging tumour types – urology, colorectal and breast.
“In addition to this, an initial investment of £30 million has been provided to target reductions to the national backlogs that built up throughout the pandemic.”
What does NHS Grampian say?
An NHS Grampian spokeswoman apologised to impacted patients.
She added: “We were awarded funding earlier this year to improve our cancer capacity; this takes time to take effect, but we do expect to see gradual improvements. It is worth noting the average wait from referral to treatment in Grampian is 60 days.
“The wider challenges we face in Grampian must be taken into account. We have the lowest bed base of any board in Scotland, and are one of the lowest funded, at a time when we are seeing increasing demand on all our services. We continue to work closely with Scottish Government and the National Cancer Performance Delivery Board on these issues.
“However, we would also note excellent care continues to be delivered locally. Our teams, working across cancer services, provide expert treatment and continue to innovate, to ensure we can offer the best service to the people of Grampian. Their efforts must be recognised.”
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