The Cabinet Secretary for Health Nicola Sturgeon has said that cancer patients and their families will expect nothing less than full compliance with tough waiting time targets by the end of this year, as cancer waiting time statistics released today show no change in progress towards the headline target in the last quarter.
The latest Cancer Waiting Times statistics, for the first quarter of 2007, show that, against a target of 95 per cent for a two month urgent referral to treatment, the figure achieved was 84.5 per cent - up 6 per cent on a year-on-year basis, but showing no change compared with the previous quarter.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing said that specific action was now taking place to tackle issues of underperformance and scale of challenge at Board level, and to target particular cancer types, such as prostate, where performance issues have been highlighted.
Sturgeon said: “If anyone was in any doubt about the scale of challenge Boards face to meet the 95 per cent, these latest statistics should make things crystal clear. This target should have been met by the end of 2005 and the fact is that this is now long overdue.
“These latest figures, for the last full quarter before this year's election, show the full scale of the challenge inherited by the new Scottish government.
“The fact that there was no overall progress between the end of 2006 and the start of 2007 makes the action plan I announced in May all the more relevant.
“It is vital that patients get the best treatment, appropriate to their needs, as quickly as possible. That's the message I've been taking to Boards throughout Scotland as part of the on-going annual review process.
“I have demanded weekly reports on progress from all Health Boards to ensure they get on track to meet the end 2007 target I have set.
“Some Boards have shown progress over the past year, with NHS Forth Valley and Grampian showing significant performance improvements of 25 per cent and 14 per cent respectively and others such as Fife (9 per cent up) and Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Tayside both 8 per cent up.
“However, a lot still needs to be done, especially in those Boards where I have now directed our Cancer Performance Support Team - NHS Highland, Lanarkshire and Lothian, where performance is still well adrift from the target.
“We are also taking specific action to target the cancer services where performance issues continue to be seen, for example urological and in particular prostate cancer, where intensive work is taking place to better manage the whole referral to treatment process.
“Different Boards face different challenges, but I am clear that the NHS as a whole should be working together to ensure that the 95 per cent target is met by the end of this year at the latest - patients and their families should expect nothing less."
Commenting on the figures, Mary Scanlon, Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing said: “The average across Scotland is that 84.5 per cent of patients are treated within two months - yet in Lanarkshire the figure is only 70 per cent and in NHS Highland only 73 per cent of patients are treated with the prescribed time. In other words, in these areas, over a quarter of patients do not receive their treatment within the target. However, I welcome the fact that a new team has been put into Highlands to address the problems there.
“These dismal figures are well below the rest of Scotland where cancer patients have a better chance of faster treatment, and therefore a better chance of recovery. They also underline the failure of the Lib-Lab Pact to meet its promise and the huge task facing the new minority government. Nicola Sturgeon must live up to her pledge of meeting the 95% target by the end of this year or she too will be guilty of giving false promises and false hope.”
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