Top story today, just like the Record, three weeks ago:
BBC Scotland have a tragic tale of breast cancer misdiagnosis, terrible, but a single case. How it came to their notice is not mentioned. From a family member or from a local non-SNP councillor to Fiona Stalker?
How common is a breast cancer misdiagnosis? I can find no NHS Scotland research but this seems relevant.
For certain cancers, researchers have estimated very low “missed cancer” rates after specialist assessment. For example, one UK study of breast clinics found an overall diagnostic accuracy of about 99.6%. https://www.nature.com/articles/6605082?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Is there any reason to suspect NHS Scotland might be less effective?
From Public Health Scotland Cancer waiting times published in April 2026:
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.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/CWT-CRS-National-Time-Series-Oct-2009-Dec-2025-Provisional.xlsx
The equivalent figure for NHS England was 70.2%.
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.
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What are the media trying to achieve in these reports?
They, of course, will say, to use the nasty terminology they use, that they are ‘ ‘holding feet to the fire’ to make the hospital staff do their job better.
But, continuing the nasty phaseology, they demand, ‘heads must roll’. Now, if there was a misdiagnosis, then, the ‘head that rolls’ has to be that of the consultant.
So, NHS Scotland loses the services of a consultant, and this will mean a shortage of specialists, so waiting times get longer.
And media, exult because they can now ‘slam’, ‘blast’, ‘slate’ the NHS and by extension the Scottish Government.
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