Staff shortages blamed as bowel cancer screening delays soar

However, hospitals have admitted they are failing to carry out screening of thousands of patients within the recommended time limit. They blame lack of staff, a greater workload for screening services and a higher priority being put on checking patients for other diseases.

One of the worst-hit areas is NHS Grampian, where 55 patients due to be checked in 2009 were not seen until this year. More than 648 Grampian patients due to be examined in 2010 and 2011 have still not been seen.

In Fife, 1,045 patients have also been delayed past their time limit – usually one, three or five years depending on the patient’s risk.

NHS Highland has also admitted delays, prompting an audit of patients to determine the extent of the problem.

NHS Lothian said it is investigating the extent of the problem, although it would not disclose details.

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in Scotland, with 4,000 cases every year. Thousands of Scots undergo hospital checks for the disease every year which involves a colonoscopy, or endoscopic procedure, to examine the bowel. The procedure lasts for around 45 minutes and patients are usually sedated.

Those given the checks include patients who have been shown to be at risk through the national screening programme and patients with worrying symptoms. These patients must be seen within a strict timescale.

Another group of patients, those with previous bowel cancer, and those who have undergone removal of polyps, potentially cancerous growths, are put “under surveillance”. All patients with previous problems are supposed to be checked every one, three or five years depending on their condition, in line with strict national guidelines.

Alastair McKinlay, president of the Scottish Society of Gastroenterology, said: “Patients who are under surveillance are known to have an increased risk of cancer, that’s why they are under surveillance.

“Any delay is a matter of great concern and reflects the huge pressure that the endoscopy services are under in Scotland.

“That needs to be addressed centrally. Endoscopy services across Scotland need to be more centrally planned and co-ordinated because part of their workload is cancer diagnostic services.”

The rising pressure on services in Scotland is believed to be due to a number of factors. These include an increase in the number of patients needing the checks because they have been found to be at risk through the national bowel cancer screening programme as well as tougher waiting time targets for those with urgent symptoms. Some boards have also struggled with staff shortages.

However, charities say the length of time patients are waiting is unacceptable. Deborah Alsina, chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK, said: “Timely surveillance for people at moderate-to-high risk of bowel cancer should be a priority in order to avoid unnecessary deaths. Frankly, it is simply not good enough that people are not getting the surveillance they require. This is not a ‘nice to have’, it is a ‘must have’, and we urge the Scottish Government and commissioners to sort this out as a priority.”

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Jackson Carlaw said: “People will be shocked by this. The successful treatment of cancer depends on early detection, appropriate intervention and sustained screening and for health boards to be three years behind in certain areas is wholly unacceptable.

“The new health secretary, Alex Neil, must immediately sort this out.”

A spokeswoman for NHS Grampian said: “Some people are waiting longer than we would wish. However, we are making significant progress.”

“NHS Grampian has made and is making a huge range of improvements to support repeat colonoscopy.”

NHS Fife Ambulatory Care general manager Margaret Henderson said: “Plans are in place to review those who have waited the longest to determine if they remain a priority.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We are working with health boards to put monitoring in place. If monitoring finds there are capacity issues, we will address it.”