Question reference: S6W-26553
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 28 March 2024
-
Current status: Answered by Neil Gray on 18 April 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that the 62-day cancer treatment standard is met in NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
Answer
£11.3 million of additional funding has been directed to support Cancer Waiting Times improvements in our NHS across 2023-24, of which NHS Ayrshire & Arran received a share of £838,000.
Funding has been targeted towards the most challenged specialties, including breast, colorectal and urology. This funding includes investment to support extended working days and weekend working to increase capacity and treat patients as timely as possible.
In addition, NHS Ayrshire & Arran have established a Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Service (RCDS). The RCDS provides primary care with access to a new referral pathway for people with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer. The Services are a useful addition to how cancer can be diagnosed in Scotland providing a new fast-track diagnostic pathway for people with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer, such as weight loss and fatigue.