£10m to tackle cancer treatment backlog in Scotland
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A £10 MILLION fund is being provided to Scotland's 14 health boards over the coming weeks to improve cancer waiting times.
The money will be directed where it is most needed in each region, and could be used for enhancing staff skills, investing in diagnostic tests and supporting evening and weekend working so more patients can be seen.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: "Limiting the impact of Covid-19 on cancer patients has been a top priority in all of our planning, with the majority of vital cancer treatments continuing throughout the pandemic.
"Our commitment to finding and treating cancer as early as possible has never been greater.
"This £10 million will enable boards to further recover and redesign cancer services for patients across Scotland and drive improvements in waiting times."
Moray SNP MSP Richard Lochhead plans to write to NHS Grampian to ask how it will invest its share of funding and what steps will be taken locally to ensure people in Moray are able to access screening and treatment as quickly as possible.
Mr Lochhead said: "Covid has had a huge impact on our NHS and there’s a huge job of work to do to tackle the backlog and to get services in Grampian working to pre-pandemic levels.
"I’m aware from my own discussions with NHS Grampian that cancer patients have been a top priority and that staff have worked hard to limit the impact of Covid on those undergoing cancer treatments.
"However, with an increase in referrals in recent months there’s greater pressure on services, and waiting times for some services are longer than anyone would like, so this new funding to help tackle delays and increase capacity is very much welcome."
