HEALTH Secretary Jeane Freeman has admitted some patients with suspected cancer in Scotland are waiting too long for treatment.
The Scottish Government has set a target of having 95% of urgent referrals starting treatment within 62 days, but official data showed this only happened in 81.4% of cases in the first three months of this year.
Freeman outlined steps taken to reduce waiting times and said more will be done, adding: “I have been clear with health boards that cancer patients must be prioritised.”
A second cancer waiting times target was missed by only the narrowest of margins. A total of 94.9% of patients began getting help within 31 days of a decision being made to treat their cancer, just below the 95% target. Freeman said: “It’s welcome that once a decision to treat has been reached, patients in Scotland wait on average five days for first treatment.”
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