Current status: Answered by Neil Gray on 18 December 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of healthcare visits, including GP visits, children and young people under the age of 25 are making before they receive a cancer diagnosis compared to older adults, and what action is being taken to reduce diagnostic delays for this age group.
The Scottish Government does not hold data for the number of healthcare visits, including GP visits, children and young people under the age of 25 are making before they receive a cancer diagnosis compared to older adults.
The Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care: The Cancer Strategy for Children and Young People in Scotland 2021–2026, is a dedicated cancer strategy for children and young people, in Scotland.
The strategy sets out our ambitions and actions to provide the best possible treatment and care, as early as possible, to children and young people with cancer. There are several actions that specifically relate to an early, precise diagnosis of cancer.
The Managed Clinical Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MCN CYPC) are responsible for the implementation and evaluation of the Children and Young People’s cancer strategy.
We published the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer in August 2025, which includes a specific Cancer in Children & Young People Guideline, encompassing multiple distinct types of cancers more commonly diagnosed in those aged 0-24 years.
A suite of assets have been created for Gateway C, Scotland’s free primary care cancer education platform. These include bespoke assets focusing on children and young people to support early identification of possible symptoms of cancer and prompt referral.