SNP leaving men at risk of fatal aneurysms

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today urged the SNP to rebuild a key screening programme to protect against potentially fatal aneurysms after new figures revealed that the number of men attending screenings and receiving swift treatment is still hugely down on pre-pandemic levels.

Men who turn 65 are invited for an initial screening to detect whether they have an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. Large aneurysms are uncommon but serious, requiring surgery to repair it and protect against a rupture that leads to death in 8 out of 10 cases. Where small aneurysms are discovered at initial screening, those men are invited to have regular screenings.

Figures from Public Health Scotland have now revealed:

• Only 19% of men deemed appropriate for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm repair surgery were operated on within eight weeks, down from 50.6% pre-pandemic and a significant breach of the essential target of 60%.
• Only 85% of eligible men were invited to screenings before their 66th birthday, breaching the essential target of 95% and down from 97.4% pre-pandemic.
• Only 77.3% of eligible men are being screened on time, down from 82.8% pre-pandemic.

Commenting on the figures, Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

“Detecting dangerous aneurysms can be lifesaving, so it is very worrying that the proportion of men being screened has fallen so dramatically.

“It used to be that virtually everyone was invited for a screening on time, but now the government is creating gaps that could result in vital diagnoses being missed. Even where a potentially fatal problem is detected, it’s taking far too long to get these men the surgery they need.

“The SNP Government has failed to help this programme recover from the pandemic, putting patients at risk.

“Rebuilding this key programme must be a priority for ministers. It is yet another example of patients who feel as if they have been abandoned.”