Latest news with #NHSDumfries
Daily Record
18-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Dumfries and Galloway cancer patient waited nearly a year to start treatment
The length of the longest NHS Dumfries and Galloway wait for treatment to start has more than tripled in the past decade. 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.'
Daily Record
25-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Dumfries and Galloway mental health service named one of Scotland's top nursing teams
A Dumfries and Galloway mental health service has been named one of the top nursing teams in Scotland. Balcary Ward – the intensive psychiatric care unit at Midpark Hospital in Dumfries – has been shortlisted for the Mental Health Nursing Award in the RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards 2025. The service provides round-the-clock care for inpatients experiencing an acute mental health episode. The nomination highlights the team's exceptional work in delivering high-quality, person-centred care to individuals experiencing acute and complex mental health challenges. The ward's senior charge nurse, Alistair Carlyle, said: 'As a team, it's fantastic to be nominated for this award and something we are all really proud of. The team has worked really hard, reducing adverse incidents by over 50 per cent through a local project to improve patient and staff experience. 'However, we don't do this job for awards but because we care, but to be recognised like this means so much to every single member of our team. It gives us even more drive to keep pushing for better outcomes for our patients.' The team has been praised for their efforts in supporting some of the region's most vulnerable people, often during the most challenging moments of their lives. Their innovative and collaborative practice was a key factor in securing their place as a finalist. Click here for more news and sport from Dumfries and Galloway. NHS Dumfries and Galloway general manager for mental health, Justin Murray, said: 'This nomination is a huge honour for our team, and it speaks volumes about the dedication, resilience and skill of everyone working on Balcary Ward. 'Every day, they go above and beyond to ensure people in crisis are met with compassion, dignity and the highest standard of care. To see that recognised at a national level is incredibly rewarding.' The team will find out if they've won at the RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year awards at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh on June 12. Chair of RCN Scotland Board, Julie Lamberth, said: 'All our finalists truly demonstrate the daily dedication of nursing staff in delivering the best of nursing care for the people of Scotland.'
