Cancer waiting times performance still poor

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today called on the Health Secretary, Michael Matheson, to bring a new a plan to the table which will tackle cancer waiting times, as figures published today show poor cancer waiting times performance against the 62-day referral to treatment standard.

New Public Health Scotland figures reveal that only 73.7% of patients were seen within the 62-day standard. They also showed that the standard was not met by any of the NHS Health Boards.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

"Scots who have been diagnosed with cancer should be able to access treatment quickly and effectively, yet many are being forced to wait day after day for the help they need.  

“Early intervention in cancer cases is crucial to chances of survival so the stakes here simply could not be higher – it’s a matter of life and death.  

“The Health Secretary needs to bring a new plan to the table and pull out all the stops to bring down waiting times. Staff and patients are tired of being continually failed by a government that seems out of ideas.”