Health Chiefs’ Plea Over Child Cancer Patients

Health chiefs in the North-east yesterday backed calls to retain local services for child cancer patients amid concerns they may have to travel hundreds of miles for treatment.

Plans to establish one or two principal treatment centres are being considered as part of a Scotland-wide cancer-care review, that is due to be completed by the end of the year.

An NHS Grampian report says patients and their families may have to travel from the North-east to Edinburgh or Glasgow for assessment and treatment. A spokeswoman said the board would “vigorously support” the local provision of children’s facilities.

“It is important we support the local provision of services,” she said. “This is about having access to high-quality services as locally as is feasibly possible. “If there is going to be only two centres, one could be based in the Central Belt and the other in the north of Scotland.”

The report states that any loss of services would have a knock-on effect and adds: “The loss of specialities such as children’s cancer would have a specific impact on non-malignant haematology/oncology and paediatric surgery. Any continued erosion of children’s services would also have an impact on research and education and training.”

Nicola Sturgeon, the health secretary, said cancer services were being reviewed across Scotland.