Murdo has slammed the SNP Government for “concerning” waiting times for cancer patients in Fife.
He was reacting to the latest waiting times for the quarter period between April to June, which were published this week by Public Health Scotland (PHS). They show that 14.3% of referrals had to wait 84 days or more to start treatment with NHS Fife, with 12.6% waiting between 63-83 days to be seen.
The figures showed that 62-day standard was not met by any NHS Board in Scotland. The 62-day standard states that 95% of eligible patients should wait no longer than 62 days from urgent suspicion of cancer referral to first cancer treatment (with 5% tolerance level due to clinical appropriateness).
The report from PHS stated that many health boards have highlighted that staffing issues combined with a high number of referrals continue to limit capacity and impact on performance in the latest quarter.
Commenting, Murdo said: “The latest waiting time figures for cancer patients in Fife are very concerning indeed. To have 14.3% of patients in Fife have to wait 84 days or more to start their treatment, with 12.6% waiting between 63-83 days is shocking to be honest. The data also shows that 31.2% of cancer patients in Fife waited between 42-62 days.
“This data, along with the consistently bad waiting time figures for patients attending A&E, show just how bad the situation is with our NHS in the hands of this incompetent SNP Government. Kate Seymour, head of advocacy at Macmillan Cancer Support, has previously said Scotland's cancer waiting times saw ‘the worst year on record in 2023.’
“However, the Health Secretary, Neil Gray is burying his head in the sand by recently claiming our NHS is not in the crisis. This was after the British Medical Association in Scotland described the NHS as being in ‘permanent crises’ and the Royal College of Nursing warning of a ‘workforce crisis’ in Scotland.”
Murdo continued: “These latest figures show how the SNP Government is not focusing on the day job, despite criticism from across the board about their handling of our NHS. Many of these cancer patients in Fife will be in considerable pain caused by their illness. Having to wait such lengthy times to be seen for treatment is an utter disgrace and needs addressed.”
The cancer types for which data is recorded for PHS are: breast, cervical, colorectal, head and neck, lung, lymphoma, melanoma, ovarian, upper GI and urological.
