NHS Grampian has been urged to fast track its plans to improve ovarian cancer treatment amid concern over “poor” survival rates in the north.
A new report on cancer care in the north of Scotland also said pathology vacancies were having a “knock-on” effect on service delivery.
The Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) document Quality of Cancer Care in the North of Scotland examined treatment in NHS Grampian, NHS Highland and NHS Tayside.
The report said data in the three health boards, which make up the North Cancer Alliance, demonstrated “poor survival” of women with ovarian cancer.
It states: “This was linked to access to surgical treatment. We were told that women may not routinely be given surgery and chemotherapy. In advanced cases, chemotherapy without surgery may lead to poorer survival.”
As a result the North Cancer Alliance had worked to ensure patients get surgery unless it would be harmful to them.
The report noted that NHS Grampian had put together a “business case” to address poorer ovarian cancer survival in the north. It recommended the health board to implement it “as quickly as possible”.
Ovarian cancer survival data is not broken down by health board, but mortality figures suggest Grampian had 2017 death rate marginally above the Scottish average. Highland has a below average mortality rate from ovarian cancer and Tayside was above average.
A shortage of pathologists, who diagnose cancers by examining biopsies, was also flagged up. The report said NHS Grampian and NHS Tayside had pathology vacancies.
“Due to issues in recruitment and retention of pathologists, there is a lot of pressure on local pathology services and this has a knock-on effect on cancer service delivery,” the report adds.
“As the recruitment of pathologists is an emerging/re-occurring theme, the North Cancer Alliance are trying to work with NHS boards to facilitate a regional solution to ensure the demand is met instead of competing for resources.”
North East Tory MSP Tom Mason said: “Waiting times for key tests to detect cancer are at the longest they have ever been.
“Ovarian cancer particularly needs very early detection. It is time the SNP government begin to adequately resource our health boards.”
A NHS Grampian spokesman said the board was aware of issues in ovarian cancer treatment and was working hard to resolve them.
He said efforts to recruit in pathology and radiology had been successful and it was working with the government to improve waiting times.
He added: “It is also important to emphasise patients in the most urgent need of treatment are seen as a matter of priority.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said its National Cancer Quality Steering Group regularly reviewed cancer treatment to drive up care quality.
She added the government was working with boards drive up improvements through its £100 million Cancer Strategy.
