EXCLUSIVE: Emergency warning as NHS Tayside prostate cancer patients wait 218 days for treatment

The Courier

a day ago

Men in Tayside are facing agonising delays of more than seven months between being referred with suspected prostate cancer and starting treatment, The Courier can reveal.
New figures show that two men who eventually received treatment in 2024 each waited 218 days — more than 30 weeks — from referral to the first step in their care.
The official target for cancer care in Scotland is that 95% of patients referred with an urgent suspicion of cancer should begin treatment within 62 days.
But in the first quarter of last year, just 17.6% of prostate cancer patients in NHS Tayside were treated on time.
While that figure improved slightly to 36.2% in the summer months, it deteriorated again to 22.6% in the final quarter.
Median waits reached 90 days between October and December – a full month beyond the national standard.
The data, released under Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation, covers only those patients who went on to be treated – meaning those still waiting or never treated at all are not counted.
The health board's performance is among the worst in Scotland and comes amid renewed focus on prostate cancer following the revelation that Sir Chris Hoy, the six-time Olympic gold medallist, is receiving treatment for the disease.
Sir Chris, 49, went public with his terminal prostate cancer diagnosis last year, after learning of his condition 'completely out of the blue' in September 2023.
He said the experience was 'a huge shock' and has since urged men not to delay getting tested.
'One simple check really can save lives,' he said.
The impact of his message was immediate.
NHS England reported a 672% increase in traffic to its prostate cancer symptom pages following his announcement.
Yet in Tayside, the data suggests patients are still being let down.
Labour MSP Michael Marra, who obtained the figures, described the delays as 'horrific'.
'They lay bare the life-threatening reality of this core cancer service under the SNP,' he said.
'Imagine being told you may well have prostate cancer, but you have to wait until the middle of January next year for an appointment.
'That is the reality for patients and families across Tayside, with waits of up to 218 days.
'The collapse of this service will mean months of anxious waits and lives lost that could have been saved with timely treatment.
'Constituents are contacting me telling of having to go private at great expense to have vital prostate surgery.'
Last year, we reported that NHS Tayside met the 62-day target in just 60% of all cancer cases — below the national average of 73.5%, and far below the 95% standard.
For urological cancers, the national figure was just 49%.
In a statement, NHS Tayside acknowledged that urology is its most challenged cancer specialty, citing long-standing workforce shortages.
'We recognise that waiting times are longer than we would like and understand this is distressing,' an NHS spokesperson said.
'We've recently appointed a new urology consultant and developed a cancer improvement plan, including more specialist nurses, expanded training, and new diagnostic equipment.'
Health Secretary Neil Gray said the Scottish Government was investing an additional £14 million to tackle cancer waiting times, with urology a key priority.
He said the funding would support over 150,000 extra appointments and procedures in 2025–26.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in Scotland, with around 4,300 new cases diagnosed each year, according to Prostate Cancer UK.
Risk increases with age, and men with a family history are at higher risk.
It is less common in men under 50 but can be aggressive when it does occur.
Last month, Sir Chris shared a positive update.
'I'm doing well,' he said. 'Most importantly, cancer's not the first thing I think about when I go to bed at night.'
You can track cancer waiting times in NHS Tayside here.