Scots waiting up to a year for cancer treatment as patients 'not given best chance' by SNP Government
Scots suffering from cancer are being made to wait up to a year before starting treatment, shock figures show.
Analysis by the Scottish Liberal Democrats found that one patient living in the NHS Lothian health board area waited 393 days before beginning treatmen t in the first quarter of this year.
Patients in Grampian, the Borders, and Dumfries and Galloway all waited 11 months for treatment in the same period.
It comes after the SNP Government committed to spending a record £21 billion on the NHS in Scotland over the next year to try and reduce waiting times for patients.
Alex Cole-Hamilton, the Lib Dems leader, warned that between March 2015 and March 2025 the longest wait in NHS Borders more than quadrupled, increasing from 76 days to 343 days. At the same time the longest wait in NHS Dumfries & Galloway more than trebled, from 99 days to 347 days.
And since March 2015, the longest waits in NHS Ayrshire & Arran, NHS Orkney and NHS Shetland have more than doubled.
It comes after official figures published last month found the percentage of Scottish cancer patients receiving treatment within the target time is the lowest since records began.
Data released by Public Health Scotland found almost a third of patients referred to the NHS in Scotland with an urgent suspicion of cancer are waiting longer than the 62-day target to start treatment.
The rate fell to 68.9 per cent in the first three months of 2025 - the lowest reported since records began a decade ago. A target that 95 per cent of patients should start treatment within 31 days of diagnosis has also not been met.
The 62-day standard is based on the time from urgent suspicion of cancer referral to first cancer treatment, while the 31-day standard measures the time from a decision to treat to the start of first treatment for newly-diagnosed primary cancers.
Cole-Hamilton said: "All across Scotland, the SNP government isn't giving cancer patients the best chance of survival. These statistics show huge increases in waiting times to begin treatment after an urgent referral with suspicion of cancer, stretching up to a year.
"International studies show Scotland falling behind. 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. Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see ministers who will move mountains to bring down waits and get to grips with the gaps in tech and staff.
'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.'
John Swinney said the NHS was treating a higher number of patients with cancer on time than six years ago but accepted the failure to meet the 62-day target was 'not acceptable'.
Dr Iain Kennedy, chair of the BMA in Scotland said there was a split between people who could afford to go private and those forced to "languish" on NHS waiting lists.
Neil Gray, the Health Secretary, 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.
"It's disappointing that the 31-day standard was narrowly missed this quarter. However, performance has remained steady at around 95% since the pandemic. The median wait for treatment is three days, and the median wait from urgent suspicion of cancer referral to treatment is 52 days, demonstrating the extensive work by staff across Scotland to treat people as quickly and effectively as possible.
"We are treating more patients with cancer on time, within both standards, compared to the same quarter 6 years ago – 7.7% more within the 31-day standard & 0.1% 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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