John Swinney to face FMQs as doctors warn of cancer care 'ticking time bomb'

The First Minister will face questions from opposition leaders after doctors in Scotland warned cancer care faces a “ticking time bomb” unless action is taken.

John Swinney will speak at Holyrood after new reports from the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) showed that Scotland currently has a 25% shortage of radiologists and a 19% shortage of oncologists.

This is being driven, the reports say, by recruitment lagging behind a growing demand for services, and a “retention crisis” that is seeing cancer doctors leaving the NHS at a younger age than ever before.

The RCR said without action to boost staff numbers, patients will face lengthening waits for diagnosis and treatment, and the body warned that a cancer patient’s risk of death can increase by 10% for every month treatment is delayed.

Dr Katharine Halliday, president of the RCR, said: “Patients are being failed by a chronic lack of radiologists and oncologists.

“Despite the best efforts of NHS staff, there aren’t enough doctors to ensure prompt, safe and effective care and the outlook is bleak.

“We are doing all we can to boost productivity, but there’s a limit to how far we can go. The reality is we simply don’t have enough staff.

“Any credible plan to cut waiting lists relies on having the headcount to meet the demand we face today, let alone tomorrow.

“The longer we delay action, the worse it gets.

“The Government must train up more radiologists and oncologists to defuse this ticking time bomb for cancer diagnosis and treatment.”