Long waits for cervical cancer tests 'giving women sleepless nights'

Lengthy waiting times for vital cervical cancer tests are “giving women sleepless nights”, with some having to wait up to eight and a half months to be seen.

Waiting times for a colposcopy, a cervical examination that follows an abnormal smear test and can help identify cervical cancer, have increased in all but one Scottish health board since 2019.

Scottish Labour say the SNP must ensure the “NHS is there” for all women who need to get these tests carried out.

Figures obtained through Freedom of Information by Scottish Labour found the highest average wait for a colposcopy in 2024 was 91 days in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, an increase of 34 per cent since 2019.

This is followed by 78 days in NHS Borders, an increase of 200 per cent, and 76 days in NHS Dumfries and Galloway, an increase of 90 per cent.

Other health boards recorded average waits of 70 days in NHS Tayside (an increase of 150 per cent), 57 days in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (an increase of 33 per cent), 49 days in NHS Forth Valley (an increase of 96 per cent), 35 days in NHS Grampian (an increase of 67 per cent), 33 days in NHS Shetland (an increase of 3 per cent), 29 days in NHS Western Isles (an increase of 45 per cent) and 24 days in NHS Lothian (an increase of 4 per cent).

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The only health board to see a reduction in these waiting times was at NHS Highland - its average waiting time is 30 days, down 50 per cent from the 60 day wait recorded in 2019.

The longest wait experienced in 2024 was 266 days in NHS Tayside, an increase of 52 per cent on 2019.

Long waits were also recorded elsewhere, including 259 days in NHS Borders, 238 days in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, 232 days in NHS Dumfries and Galloway, 197 days in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 173 days in NHS Shetland, 132 days in NHS Forth Valley, 96 days in NHS Highland, 92 days in NHS Lothian, 91 days in NHS Western Isles and 70 days in NHS Grampian.

The only health boards to see a reduction in the longest waits were Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Highland and Lothian.

Dame Jackie Baillie, Labour’s deputy leader and health spokeswoman, said: “For those who have been referred for a follow-up test, every day without an appointment is another day filled with anxiety and stress followed by a sleepless night.

Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie | Press Association

“Routine checks prevent tragedy but they only work if the results are quickly processed and at-risk patients identified.

“Cancer doesn’t wait - the SNP must ensure that every woman who gets tested is confident that the NHS is there for her if she needs it.”

The SNP Scottish Government pledged in its 2025/26 budget that no one would wait more than 12 months for an NHS appointment.

A spokeswoman for the government said: “Excessively long waits are not acceptable, and we are working intensively with NHS boards to reduce the length of time people are waiting for appointments and treatment.

“That is why one of the initial priorities of the women’s health plan is to improve access for women to appropriate support, diagnosis and treatment.

“We are making progress with latest figures showing improvements in new outpatient, diagnostic and inpatient/day case waiting times performance with diagnostic waits at their lowest since October 2021.

“We have surpassed our pledge to carry out 64,000 procedures by the end of March 2025 through £30 million of targeted funding, with boards reporting delivery of 75,500 appointments and procedures as of 31 January 2025.”

They added: “We want patients to be treated as soon as possible.

“That is why we are investing £200m to reduce waits, enhance capacity and reduce delayed discharge.

“We are also looking to optimise the full force of the £ 21.7bn committed through the Scottish budget of health and social care to improve performance.

“By March 2026, we expect no one to wait longer than 12 months for a new outpatient appointment, inpatient treatment or day case treatment.”

All health boards who provided data were contacted for comment.

Data was either not provided, or not in a compatible format, from Fife, Lanarkshire and Orkney health boards.