Excellent cancer patient record

Published on Saturday 18 July 2009 19:47

I FEEL it is necessary to comment upon the report by Eddie Barnes entitled 'Secret Wait For Cancer Patients' (News, 12 July).

Mr Barnes contacted NHS Forth Valley to request information on waiting times in relation to two patients with particular types of cancer who appeared to have had a long wait.

Detailed explanations were provided in both cases. In his article, however, he stated that "average waits at Falkirk & District Royal for gastrointestinal cancer" – a type of cancer for which he did not request any information at all – "was 118 days between April and June 2008".

Falkirk & District Royal Infirmary does not have any "average" waits for cancer treatment. Each patient with cancer, or who is suspected of having cancer, is treated as an individual and never becomes part of some "average".

Six patients were routinely referred during the relevant period with no suspicion of cancer. Four of these were subsequently diagnosed as suffering from gastrointestinal cancer, and all were seen within eight weeks – well within target times.

The other two patients had more complex conditions or pre-existing illnesses that required further investigation and treatment.

The fact is that in recent months, 97% of NHS Forth Valley patients with urgent referrals and a subsequent diagnosis of cancer have been treated within the 62-day guarantee period.

This is a performance that exceeds the national average, although all Scottish NHS Boards are actually doing very well on cancer treatment.

Ian Mullen, chairman, NHS Forth Valley