Cancer chaos

Labour demands immediate action to address dramatic spike in urgent referrals

-  CHRIS MCCALL

THE number of Scots receiving urgent referrals for cancer treatment has rocketed over the last four years.

Outpatient referrals marked by doctors as "urgent, suspicion of cancer" have jumped from 96,000 in 2018-19 to 171,000 in 2022-23.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the country's largest health board, saw referral figures increase from 25,000 pre-pandemic to a shocking 43,000 in 2022-23.

NHS Lothian recorded 10,000 more referrals for the same period.

Scottish Labour, which uncovered the figures, claimed the dramatic spike in urgent referrals was likely due to overstretched services and the Scottish Government failing to invest in primary care.

Jackie Baillie, the party's health spokeswoman, said SNP ministers had repeatedly failed to meet their government's own key performance targets for treatment.