From Public Health Scotland Cancer waiting times 1 October to 31 December 2025, published today:

There were 4,797 eligible referrals, a decrease of 0.2% from the previous quarter, and an increase of 28.8% from the quarter ending 31 December 2019.

72.6% of patients started treatment within 62 days, compared with 70.7% in the previous quarter.

https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancer-waiting-times/cancer-waiting-times-1-october-to-31-december-2025/

The equivalent figure for NHS England was 70.2%.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/CWT-CRS-National-Time-Series-Oct-2009-Dec-2025-Provisional.xlsx

Now BBC Scotland will tell us that 70.2 and 72.6 are essentially the same, not ‘significantly’ different, but remember, that 2.4% difference of 4 797 referrals, is 115 patients in one quarter.

So, 460 per year, nearly 5 000 in ten years.

Finally, if you have doubts about adding up figures to get a big headline number, remember that to get a big bad number, how the Scotsman and the Herald specialise in that and how BBC Scotland and STV just parrot them.