To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times have been for cancer patients from (a) diagnosis and (b) urgent GP referral to the start of treatment in each year since 2002, broken down by NHS board.
(a) Diagnosis to First treatment:
Breast Cancer
Information is collated centrallyto report performance against the Scottish Executive target that by October 2001,women who have breast cancer and are referred for urgent treatment will begin thattreatment within one month of diagnosis, where clinically appropriate.
Given that the mean is affecteddisproportionately by a small number of waits that may be clinically appropriate,it is more useful to use the median to analyse trends in waiting times from quarterto quarter. As NHS Scotland makes progress towards meeting the Executive’s waitingtime targets and treats more patients who have had longer waits, median waitingtimes will rise.
Table 1: Number of Eligible Breast Cancer Patients DiagnosedEach Year, with the Median Wait Between Diagnosis and First Treatment, byPeriod of Diagnosis.
Breast | 20021 | 2003 | 2004 | 20052 |
| Number of Eligible Patients* | Median Wait (Days) | Number of Eligible Patients* | Median Wait (Days) | Number of Eligible Patients* | Median Wait (Days) | Number of Eligible Patients* | Median Wait (Days) |
Scotland | 2,451 | 16 | 3,605 | 20 | 3,501 | 20 | 2,877 | 21 |
Argyll and Clyde | 150 | 10 | 208 | 11 | 201 | 13 | 145 | 12 |
Ayrshire and Arran | 206 | 14 | 281 | 14 | 321 | 15 | 251 | 16 |
Borders | 71 | 13 | 46 | 14 | 56 | 15 | 64 | 15 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 72 | 15 | 98 | 13 | 101 | 13 | 87 | 11 |
Fife | 137 | 15 | 228 | 22 | 157 | 20 | 121 | 20 |
Forth Valley | 71 | 13 | 147 | 13 | 126 | 13 | 92 | 15 |
Grampian | 287 | 35 | 395 | 30 | 237 | 31 | 284 | 35 |
Greater Glasgow | 479 | 15 | 778 | 20 | 776 | 20 | 588 | 21 |
Highland | 95 | 19 | 166 | 20 | 175 | 22 | 146 | 22 |
Lanarkshire | 197 | 9 | 282 | 13 | 317 | 14 | 211 | 15 |
Lothian | 456 | 18 | 630 | 21 | 672 | 24 | 576 | 22 |
Orkney3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | 0 |
Shetland4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 24 |
Tayside | 230 | 25 | 346 | 27 | 360 | 24 | 298 | 27 |
Western Isles5 | - | - | - | - | 2 | n/a | 6 | 19 |
Notes:
*Exclusion categories are: died prior to receiving treatment,refused treatment, patient induced non-clinical delay and co-morbidities.
n/a: Not applicable due to smallnumbers.
1. 2002 based on patients diagnosedbetween 1 April and 31 December 2002.
2. 2005 based on patients diagnosedbetween 1 January and 30 September 2005.
3. Orkney started reporting ontheir own patients from January 2005, previously included with Grampian.
4. Shetland started reportingon their own patients from July 2005, previously included with Grampian.
5. Western Isles started reportingon their own patients from October 2004, previously included with Highland.
(ii) Other cancers1
New systems were put in placefrom Q4 2004 to monitor compliance against the national cancer waiting times targetthat by the end of December 2005 the maximum wait from urgent referral to treatmentfor all cancers will be two months.
Table 2: Number of Eligible Other Patients with Cancer1 DiagnosedEach Year, with the Median Wait Between Diagnosis and First Treatment, byPeriod of Diagnosis.
Other Cancers1 | 20042 | 20053 |
| Number of Eligible Patients* | Median Wait (Days) | Number of Eligible Patients* | Median Wait (Days) |
Scotland | 1,375 | 19 | 6,697 | 18 |
| | | | |
Argyll and Clyde | 70 | 21 | 416 | 15 |
Ayrshire and Arran | 125 | 19 | 566 | 15 |
Borders | 37 | 17 | 163 | 14 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 44 | 17 | 201 | 14 |
Fife | 112 | 16 | 408 | 22 |
Forth Valley | 57 | 22 | 222 | 22 |
Grampian | 146 | 14 | 629 | 13 |
Greater Glasgow | 165 | 16 | 1,423 | 17 |
Highland | 58 | 36 | 295 | 24 |
Lanarkshire | 167 | 19 | 626 | 18 |
Lothian | 215 | 19 | 1,053 | 20 |
Orkney4 | - | - | 22 | 28 |
Shetland5 | - | - | 10 | 28 |
Tayside | 179 | 23 | 640 | 22 |
Western Isles6 | - | - | 23 | 15 |
Notes
*Exclusion categories are: diedprior to receiving treatment and refused treatment. Patients with a patient inducednon-clinical delay or co-morbidity were excluded from July 2005.
1. 2004 includes colorectal,lung and ovarian cancers; January to March 2005 also includes melanoma; April toMay 2005 also includes lymphoma while July to September 2005 also includes paediatric,urology, head and neck and upper GI cancers.
2. 2004 based on patients diagnosedbetween 1 October and 31 December 2004.
3. 2005 based on patients diagnosedbetween 1 January and 30 September 2005.
4. Orkney started reporting ontheir own patients from January 2005, previously included with Grampian.
5. Shetland started reportingon their own patients from July 2005, previously included with Grampian.
6. Western Isles started reportingon their own patients from October 2004, previously included with Highland.
(b) GP Urgent Referral to First Treatment
Inthe period July to September 2004, new systems were piloted in breast cancer tomonitor compliance against the national cancer waiting time target. Data on breastcancer for July to September 2004 are less robust than for later period. Informationfor earlier periods is not available.
Datafor the most recent period, July to September 2005, include breast, colorectal,lung, ovarian, melanoma, lymphoma, urology, head and neck, upper GI and paediatriccancers.
Table 3: Number of Eligible Patients with Cancer1Diagnosed Each Year, with the Median Wait Between Urgent GP Referral and FirstTreatment, by NHS Board and Period of Diagnosis.
All Cancers1 | 20042 | 20053 |
Number of Eligible Patients* | Median Wait (Days) | Number of Eligible Patients* | Median Wait (Days) |
Scotland | 1,265 | 40 | 3,634 | 42 |
Argyll and Clyde | 44 | 24 | 218 | 28 |
Ayrshire and Arran | 77 | 40 | 284 | 44 |
Borders | 28 | 31 | 89 | 33 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 44 | 27 | 105 | 27 |
Fife | 89 | 41 | 205 | 53 |
Forth Valley | 38 | 39 | 111 | 46 |
Grampian | 85 | 54 | 376 | 48 |
Greater Glasgow | 247 | 34 | 693 | 41 |
Highland | 54 | 50 | 145 | 48 |
Lanarkshire | 132 | 33 | 329 | 39 |
Lothian | 229 | 44 | 609 | 46 |
Orkney4 | - | - | 15 | 44 |
Shetland5 | - | - | 8 | 50 |
Tayside | 197 | 54 | 433 | 42 |
Western Isles6 | 1 | n/a | 14 | 55 |
Notes:
*Exclusion categories are: died prior to receiving treatment,refused treatment, patient induced non-clinical delay and co-morbidities.
n/a: Not applicable due to smallnumbers.
1. July to September 2004 includesbreast cancer; October to December 2004 also includes colorectal, lung and ovariancancers; January to March 2005 also includes melanoma; April to May 2005 also includeslymphoma while July to September 2005 also includes paediatric, urology, head andneck and upper GI cancers.
2. 2004 based on patients diagnosedbetween 1 July and 31 December 2004.
3. 2005 based on patients diagnosedbetween 1 January and 30 September 2005.
4. Orkney started reporting ontheir own patients from January 2005, previously included with Grampian.
5. Shetland started reportingon their own patients from July 2005, previously included with Grampian.
6. Western Isles started reportingon their own patients from October 2004, previously included with Highland.