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From BBC Health today and on BBC Breakfast this morning, the above story and:
Alan was diagnosed with lung cancer after a nodule was found in June last year. The 70-year-old was meant to be operated on within weeks but ended up waiting nearly five months, by which time the cancer had spread, making his surgery more complex.
“I was so frustrated and angry and couldn’t understand why they would leave me like that,” says Alan.
On two occasions, scans were cancelled because machines had broken and for weeks he heard little or nothing from the hospital about when he would eventually have the urgent surgery. Alan is one of thousands each month in England who are not being treated within the target timeframe.
Earlier this year, the government’s National Cancer Plan, along with the NHS Planning Guidance, set out that 80% of patients in England would start treatment within 62 days from urgent GP referral by March 2027. This was to reach 85% by March 2029. But in the months since the government announced this ambition, performance has got worse, according to NHS England data, not better. Now, 69.9% of patients start cancer treatment within the 62 day timeframe. Previously it was 71.9%.
The media operating in Scotland have no interest in this. Here’s why:
From Cancer waiting times 1 January to 31 March 2026 (latest figures): 72.2% of patients started treatment within 62 days, compared with 72.6% in the previous quarter:
So, NHS Scotland is treating 2.3% more within the 62-day target?
Only 2.3% more? For BBC Scotland, little difference but as all regulars here know, that’s 2.3% of something big, 4 668 referrals in that quarter alone.
So, 107 cancer patients treated in Scotland in target time who would not have been had they lived in England. More than 1 000 in England who were not treated on time who would have been had they had nearly two decades of centre-left government, like the SNP.
And that’s just in one three-month period. The gap has been there for years – thousands of patients.
Is the above pushing it a bit? Imagine the difference went the other way?
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The long proclaimed mantra of patient-centred medicine has almost completely ceased to exist in the UK and Scotland. It can now only be returned by recording of all consultations between patient and health professional (not even sure that ‘professional’ exists anymore… protocols, once advisory, must be followed, even if defined by limited-practising academics based on evidence of poor quality and often ‘big pharma’ funded). Consultation recordings, both in person and over the www should become part of the medical records. Professional behaviour would be encouraged to return by default. The same should apply to reception and administration staff in their patient encounters. Including any ‘behind the scenes’ decision making as in Alan’s case. Patients now have no real say…do what you’re told or else, and there is no contemporaneous record save that made by the ‘professional’. It was truly pathetic when the day came when a ‘professional’ could make a series of tickety-tickbox computer entries to demonstrate for all legal and professional purposes that all Q&As and examinations had been performed – even if they hadn’t. Still possible but harder to achieve on paper, though disgraceful and disrespectful acronyms, using stethoscopes without putting earpieces in the ears and running old fashioned static emitting medical pagers around (usually drunken) patients’ heads and stating “brain scan normal” probably amounted to the same thing. Much worse now though…and the way some (definitely not all!) receptionists treat patients in the hearing of all and sundry in the usual queue or even waiting room is astonishing. General (medical) Practice, Psychiatry and Psychology have been recording consultations, with patient consent, for training purposes since before the turn of the century, only the technology has changed. Time for full records. The good ‘uns trying their hearts out will welcome the scrutiny. The reluctant good ‘uns will adjust. Some of the rest will improve and the worst will hopefully quit.
And if it’s possible in healthcare, then everywhere else in public life too, especially politicians. And lobbyists! Secrecy should be the rare exception, not the rule! No more WhatsApp message destruction nonsense or outright evasion, inconsistency and lying!
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Jed Mercurio’s ‘Cardiac Arrest’ and ‘Bodies’ weren’t unrealistic though perhaps the balance between true medical heroism and poor behaviour focused too much on the latter. The Drs in ‘The Pitt’ despite their flaws are perhaps a little ‘goody two-shoes’ and it’s every rare case in one episode but it does give a flavour of what Dr. Jayne McLaren and her ilk have to provide…time for a recognition of Scotland’s Finest and Talking Up Scotland’s true NHS medics! Not talking them down…https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/09/03/with-the-greatest-respect-mrs-dr-corridor-care-is-far-less-common-in-your-hospital/
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The Tories cut NHS funding for ten years. Did not increase it. Until Covid. Funded £270Billion over 2 years, UK Gov accounts
Scotland spends £22Billion on SNHS & social care. Scotland has an ageing population by comparison. Younger people did not need so much healthcare. People need it more as the body deteriorates. There are people on lists. Some with controllable aliments. Urgent cases are dealt with as an emergency.Many operations are risky, even dangerous especially if people are in bad health.
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