Cole-Hamilton sets out six-point action plan to improve cancer care

Speaking on World Cancer Day, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today called on the Scottish Government to do more to improve cancer care as he set out a series of action points to get ahead on support, research and prevention.  

Yesterday, new analysis by Cancer Research UK showed that, if current trends continue, cancer diagnoses in the UK will rise by a third in 2040. In January, Prostate Cancer UK revealed that Scots are now three times more likely than Londoners to be diagnosed with prostate cancer when the disease is already too late to be cured. Last month, The Ferret uncovered that hundreds of cervical cancer cases in Scotland are going undetected every year as a result of missed screenings, with 440,000 eligible people in 2020-21 having not attended a smear test in in the last three to five years.  

Scottish Liberal Democrats are now calling on the government to:  

• Launch the rollout of home test kits for cervical cancer for those not attending their screening and increase the current target of 60% for the return of home test kits for bowel cancer to tackle uptake inequalities in the current testing system.  

• Empower GPs and health professionals working in the community to refer people for appropriate tests on suspicion of cancer.

• Expand testing capacity in every health board to meet the needs of more people.  

• Reinvigorate the Detect Cancer Early Programme to include new ways to promote the importance of cancer screening programmes.

• Support and invest in educational and youth organisations to play a greater role in leading discussions on body confidence, encouraging more women to respond to their screening invitation.  

• Prioritise science to increase genetic screening for cancer.  

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

"Every Scot will know someone who has had a cancer diagnosis and far too many will remember the hole in their lives that it left them with.

“Scotland is lagging well behind other parts of the UK for a prostate cancer diagnosis and cancer wait times have climbed to the worst on record.

"Everyone knows the importance of early intervention in tackling cancers but the backlogs brought on by the pandemic and 15 years of SNP health service mismanagement have left staff and patients under severe strain.

"Today, I am setting out a series of actions that could offer a lifeline to cancer patients and their loved ones.    

“Boosting accessible testing and screening, increasing the target for returning bowel cancer home tests and launching a national rollout of home tests for cervical cancer for those not attending their screening would go some way towards removing barriers and boosting uptake.  

"Similarly, we all know that educating people about the signs and symptoms of cancer is fundamental, so we must invest in campaigns and networks which will build that awareness.  

“Cancer care requires an ambitious and dynamic response - Scottish Liberal Democrats will continue to press for measures that will bring down waits and ensure that more cases are caught before it is too late.”