Dumfries and Galloway cancer patient waited nearly a year to start treatment
A cancer patient in Dumfries and Galloway waited nearly a year to start treatment.
And the length of the longest wait for treatment to start has more than tripled in the past decade.
But the figures from NHS Dumfries and Galloway has one of the best rates for patients with an urgent suspicion of cancer starting treatment within 62 days, with the region performing above the Scottish average.
The situation was outlined by the Scottish Liberal Democrats following analysis of data from Public Health Scotland.
Party leader, Alex Cole-Hamilton, said: 'All across Scotland, the SNP government isn't giving cancer patients the best chance of survival.'
The fact that SNP ministers are now admitting that their failures may have caused people to die shows just how badly they have got this wrong.
'Access to screening programmes, diagnoses and treatment is a postcode lottery across the country.
'Patients deserve better than an SNP government that keeps letting them down. Only the Scottish Liberal Democrats will bring a real vision and a real plan for delivering the care they need.'
The Scottish Government has a target that 95 per cent of patients with an urgennt suspicion of cancer referral should receive their first treatment within 62 days.
In the first three months of the year, that target was met for just 68.9 per cent of patients in Scotland – the lowest in the last decade.
In NHS Dumfries and Galloway, the rate was 75 per cent – the second best among Scotland's health boards.
There is also a target that 95 per cent of patients should start treatment within 31 days of diagnosis. That target was met for 99 per cent of patients in NHS Dumfries and Galloway and 94.1 per cent across Scotland.
But the figures also show that one patient in Dumfries and Galloway waited 347 days – more than 11 months – for their treatment to begin.
And analysis by the Lib Dems shows that is more than triple the longest wait of 99 days from the first three months of 2015.
A healthboard spokesman said: 'NHS Dumfries and Galloway continually works to ensure patients receive diagnosis and any necessary treatment as promptly as possible, in line with national targets and in a way that best supports their individual needs.
'We are part of a wider national cancer treatment pathway, which requires close coordination across services and use of national specialist capacity.
'This means that, at times, the timing of treatment may be influenced by factors beyond the direct control of any single health board.
'Each patient's care is planned according to their clinical circumstances, in full consultation with them and their care team.
'In some cases, treatment may be delayed for valid reasons – such as the need to treat other urgent health issues, adopt a 'watchful waiting' approach, or accommodate a patient's informed decision to delay or decline treatment.
'We recognise the understandable anxiety any delay can cause for those awaiting diagnosis or treatment. Our priority remains to provide safe, timely, and effective care, based on the best available clinical evidence and within the resources available.'
Health Secretary, Neil Gray, said: 'We know that some people are still waiting too long to begin their cancer treatment, and that is not acceptable. We are determined to improve waiting times and ensure everyone gets the timely care they deserve.
'We are treating more patients with cancer on time, within both standards, compared to the same quarter six years ago – 7.7 per cent more within the 31-day standard and 0.1 per cent more within the 62-day standard.
'We have directed £14.23 million of the £106 million in additional planned care funding for 2025/26 to cancer waiting times, with a focus on colorectal, urological and breast as our most challenged pathways.'
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