South of Scotland NHS Trusts meet cancer waiting times targets

NHS. Credit: PA

Health boards in the south of Scotland have bucked the trend, by meeting their waiting time targets for cancer patients.

Only five NHS Trusts across Scotland met the target, which states that 95% of patients who have been urgently referred with a suspicion of cancer should wait a maximum of 62 days from referral to first cancer treatment.

They are:

  • NHS Borders

  • NHS Dumfries and Galloway

  • NHS Lanarkshire

  • NHS Orkney

  • NHS Shetland

The national picture is not so positive - waiting times for cancer patients have been described as "unacceptable" by charities after new figures revealed key targets have been missed again across much of the country.

The figures, covering the final three months of 2016, show only 87.5% of patients - 2,846 out of 3,254 - started treatment within the 62-day standard in the final quarter of last year, compared to 87.1% in the previous quarter.

The 31-day standard - to ensure 95% of patients will wait no more than 31 days from decision to treat to first cancer treatment - was also missed.

In the final three months of 2016, 94.1% of patients started treatment within the 31-day standard, a slight decrease from 94.3% in the previous quarter.

The 31-day standard was met by 11 out of 15 NHS boards.

Shona Robison. Credit: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire/PA Images

Health Secretary Shona Robison said the Scottish Government wants to do more to ensure targets are met.

Ms Robison also announced £180,600 of funding for a new scheme to decrease health inequalities connected to cervical cancer screening rates.

Charity Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust has been given the cash through the Government's cancer strategy.