In the Guardian today:

Thousands of cancer patients could die early if ministers and junior doctors do not urgently resolve their bitter pay row, health officials have warned.

Oncologists and cancer leaders are becoming increasingly alarmed and frustrated at the devastating impact of NHS strikes on care and treatment. Tens of thousands of patients have had cancer appointments, treatments and operations cancelled since the strikes began about 13 months ago.

The current six-day strike is the ninth time junior doctors have stopped working in the last year and the longest to hit the health service since it was founded in 1948.

More than 90,000 people were diagnosed with a less survivable cancer in the UK every year and even before disruption caused by industrial action, five-year survival rates were less than 20%, Jewell said.

She added: “These rapidly advancing cancers are currently difficult or impossible to treat at later stages, so delays to diagnosis and treatments can severely limit options for patients who then face even worse survival prospects.

“Disruption to care for patients could have a severe impact on life expectancy for people who are faced with an urgent diagnosis like a less survivable cancer. The situation is critical for thousands of people who may find their treatments delayed or cancelled due to the reduced capacity of the health service.”

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/jan/06/settle-nhs-dispute-or-thousands-with-cancer-could-die-early-say-health-chiefs

Readers will know there have been no doctor strikes in Scotland.

The Guardian report does not mention Scotland. On the one hand, this is obviously quite odd in a piece looking for solutions. On the other, the Guardian is backing Starmer and will know not to do anything to damage Scottish Labour.

We already know that, regardless of further strikes in England, waiting times for cancer treatment are far shorter in Scotland:

From Public Health Scotland in December 2023:

94.9% of patients started treatment within the 31-day standard, compared with 95.2% in the previous quarter, and 96.5% in the quarter ending 31 December 2019.

72.0% of patients started treatment within the 62-day standard, compared with 73.7% in the previous quarter, and 83.7% in the quarter ending 31 December 2019.https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancer-waiting-times/cancer-waiting-times-1-july-to-30-september-2023/

The equivalent figures for NHS England are 90.3% and 64.8% but note that a 7% difference on the 62-day standard, means around 10 000 in England who might have been treated on time but were not and around 1 000 who were treated on time in Scotland who might not have been had they lived in England.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/