Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 01 February 2022
I begin by thanking my colleague Jackie Baillie for securing this debate and for her work in Parliament to ensure that cancer and its diagnosis, treatment and holistic support remains firmly on the agenda.
I am pleased to be able to speak in this debate as we mark world cancer day on Friday. Many of us will have been impacted by cancer in our own lives, whether through a personal experience of the illness, or through walking with a family member or friend through it. The speeches that have already been made this evening show how deeply personal the debate is for many colleagues.
Cancer is the leading cause of death in Scotland—approximately 34,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in Scotland every year—so it is important that we take this opportunity to reflect on progress made, and to look at what more needs to be done, particularly in the context of Covid-19, to move forward in our shared aspiration to speed up progress and see three in four people surviving the disease by 2034.
That is Cancer Research UK’s ambition, and I thank it for its briefing in support of tonight’s debate and for its work in highlighting world cancer day, along with countless other charities, some of which I will talk about later in my contribution and some of which have already been referred to by colleagues.
As we have heard already, the theme of world cancer day 2022 is “close the care gap”, and it focuses on understanding and recognising the inequalities in cancer care around the globe. For many of the most marginalised in our society, their chances of getting cancer, and their experience and outcomes of cancer, are worse because of factors and circumstances beyond their control.
As we know, here in Scotland, mortality rates for all cancers combined are 74 per cent higher in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived, and the past two years have exacerbated the challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Waiting times statistics show that too many people are waiting too long for cancer treatment. Only 83 per cent of patients on an urgent referral for a suspicion of cancer started treatment within 62 days. The target is 95 per cent. Although some of the waits are due to backlogs and additional Covid-19 safety measures, cancer services were struggling pre-pandemic. Shortages in staff and equipment mean that cancer waiting time targets have been missed for years. Just last week in the chamber, I raised with the First Minister the issue of delays to cancer surgery in the region that I represent and the need for a dedicated cancer catch-up plan.
As we have heard tonight, this issue is a deeply personal matter for many people, and the worry that has been described by colleagues is what motivates us. I hope that the cabinet secretary will hear those calls and respond in his closing remarks.