From BBC Wales this morning:

A man with skin cancer says “cruel” waits for biopsy results left him fearing a possible death sentence. Steve Westover, 73, from Ystalyfera, Neath Port Talbot, noticed a pimple on his head which was growing and turning black. He had the lump removed and was told it was probably cancer.

But Steve waited more than two months for biopsy results, despite being told he was high priority. Swansea Bay Health Board said it was unable to comment on individual cases.

Welsh Labour Government?

33 paragraphs later, only this:

A Welsh Government spokesperson said it welcomed “any initiative that helps with the earlier diagnosis of cancer” and said it was “using new technologies to speed up cancer diagnosis and reduce the need for invasive biopsies”. They spokesperson said the Welsh government also had strategies to “invest in and support pathology services both now and in the future”.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66619831

From BBC Scotland in April 2023:

Almost three in 10 patients being referred with urgent suspicion of cancer are waiting longer than the 62-day target for their first treatment.

New figures from Public Health Scotland showed performance against the target fell to 71.7% in the last three months of 2022.

The rate was the lowest since records began a decade ago.

New Health Secretary Michael Matheson said the NHS was treating more cancer patients than ever before.

So, not 34 but only 4 paragraphs in, and the Scottish Government is accused before the health boards.

Then 10 paragraphs further in:

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said the figures were horrendous.

“It is beyond disgraceful that almost a third of patients are not starting treatment within two months,” he said.

“That will only be having a devastating impact on their chances of survival.”

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said it was shameful that no health board was meeting the standard.

“After 10 years and four failed SNP cancer plans, it is clear that this is a government out of ideas and endangering lives,” she said.

The health secretary said: “Cancer remains a national priority for the NHS and Scottish government which is why we will publish a new 10-year strategy in Spring 2023.

“We are committed to finding cancer earlier and faster which is why we have established a network of Urology Diagnostic Hubs, are investing in optimal cancer diagnostic pathways and activating additional Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services across Scotland.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65174714

So, once more, only in Scotland health is politicised, the opposition parties are platformed and the minister is door-stepped.

This does not happen in BBC Wales, England or N Ireland. For many more such comparisons, see: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=only+in

and: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=Wales

In neither of the above BBC reports, to protect Labour in both countries, this:

BBC Health today, 8 June 2023, based on the above data, is telling us:

NHS services across the whole UK have been struggling to meet cancer targets since well before Covid.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65764755

The differences are greater.

They have been careful to include NHS England’s improvement in March 2023, to 64% starting treatment within the target 64 days, from only 54.4% in December 2022, but have then compared that with the NHS Scotland figure for December 2022.

The correct, fair comparison would be 72% with 54.4%, a 16.6% gap and thus 30.5% better than the 54.4% figure.

Remember, that difference meant around 4 000 patients seen within target in Scotland and around 40 000 waiting beyond the target in England.

As for Wales, NHS Scotland is a shocking 31% faster.