By Professor John Robertson OBA
Based on a Scottish Conservatives Freedom of Information request, the Herald today has:
2 000 young scots faced delay to cancer treatments
The figure, 2 418 is based on that primary school method of counting up for as many years as you need to, in order to get a big number for a headline. In this case it’s from 2014, so presumably 10 years, giving an average of around 240 per year.
There are 35 400 cancer cases per year in Scotland1 so we’re looking at only 0.68% of the total. The Herald report does not tell us what percentage of the total are under the age of 50. I feel sure they have their reasons but creating a scare story will be the main one.
In a very long report, the bigger question on readers minds – how well Scotland does, relatively, on cancer treatment – we know that.
Cancer waiting times – UK Government figures reveal that NHS Scotland performs significantly better than NHS England and shockingly better than NHS Wales and Northern Ireland
From Waiting times for cancer treatment across the UK A summary of the cross-UK comparability of cancer waiting time statistics that are published by each nation published by the ONS on 23 August 2024 for Quarter 1, 2024:
The percentage waiting longer than the 31 day [from the “decision-to-treat” a cancer patient to when the patient starts treatment] and 62 day standards [there should be no more than 62 days between a cancer referral being received by a hospital (specialist) to when a patient starts treatment]:
- England 9.8% and 34.8%
- Scotland 5.9% and 29.6%
- Wales not measured and 43.9%
- Northern Ireland 12.1% and 66%*
*NI Q3 2023 is latest information2
So, based on the above NHS Scotland performs significantly better than NHS England and shockingly better than NHS Wales and Northern Ireland.
Of course, the ONS insist:
Although there are several similarities between the cancer waiting time standards across the UK, there are also many important differences. See Section 4: Similarities and differences in the cancer waiting times standards for further explanation. Because of the number and complexity of these differences, we have concluded that direct comparisons of the performance of the UK nations cannot be made. For example, the performance of the UK nations cannot be ranked based on these statistics.
I know, I know, but imagine Scotland had the worst performance, not the best, in the UK, how do you think ‘our’ media would react? ‘Scotland, cancer capital of the UK?’
Sources:
- https://www.macmillan.org.uk/dfsmedia/1a6f23537f7f4519bb0cf14c45b2a629/16768-10061/Cancer-statistics-fact-sheet-April-2024
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem/articles/waitingtimesforcancertreatmentacrosstheuk/2024-08-23
Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/shop/
The Oliver Brown Award for advancing the cause of Scotland’s self respect, previously awarded to Dr Philippa Whitford, Alex Salmond and Sean Connery: https://scotsindependent.scot/?page_id=116
About Oliver Brown, the first Scottish National Party candidate to save his deposit in a Parliamentary election: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Brown_(Scottish_activis
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
“In a very long report, the bigger question on readers minds – how well Scotland does, relatively, on cancer treatment – we know that.”
I’m not so sure. I think most Herald readers may be happy to accept the version presented without question.
If they were the type of people who are really interested in the truth then they would not be reading the Herald.
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While publicly attempting to discredit the Scottish NHS ( of which he is a paid employee – go figure ! ) Sandesh Gulhane is probably secretly happy NOT to be a part of the English NHS , which he abandoned to escape to the superior Scottish version .
One has to question his motives . IF the English version was outperforming Scotland’s NHS , would we be saddled with his self-promoting , egotistical , embarrassing presence ?
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The Herald relies on its readers only bothering with the headlines and kidding themselves they will read the report later. These gullible readers are more than willing to trust this snake in the grass’s testimony and his usual scathing account of the Scottish NHS.
I will never understand the need for unionists, at every turn, to declare their own country is rubbish and in the next breath to declare themselves proud British Scots, then to accuse the likes of me of hating Scotland. Makes no sense.
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The nastiest and most untreatable cancer of all is Sandesh Gulhane – Presumably the Editor read this contrived https://archive.ph/hkq8T nonsense and still sanctioned it’s publication – Bewildering…
Still, I see John Jamieson got first comment on the article though 🤣
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If the SNP came up with a cure for cancer the British press would run the headline ‘SNP create pension timebomb’.
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The Tories cut NHS funding for 14 years
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