No one should have to wait almost a year to find out if they have cancer. But that’s the appalling state of affairs facing one mum who underwent a smear test in February last year.
She’s been waiting ever since for a follow-up appointment for a colposcopy to determine whether there are early stages of cancer. The average wait for the procedure across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is 19 weeks while the target is just six.
The longest recorded wait is currently 48 weeks. Jackie Baillie, Labour’s health spokeswoman, is right to describe this as a postcode lottery. She points to the example of NHS Lanarkshire where no one has had to wait longer than 10 weeks in six months.
