
Swinney faces questions after Scotland's cancer waiting times worst on record
A report from Public Health Scotland on Tuesday revealed that waiting times in Scotland are at an all-time high, with nearly a third of patients with an urgent suspicion of cancer waiting longer than 62 days to start treatment.
Only 69% of patients started treatment within the 62-day national target in the first three months of 2025, compared with 74% in the previous quarter and 84% at the end of 2019.
One of Swinney's ministers later admitted that people may be dying as a result of later cancer diagnoses.
Public health minister Jenni Minto said the situation is 'not where we should be' and admitted that the Scottish Government could do more, while speaking to STV News.
The figures are expected to be raised at First Minister's Questions on Thursday, and Swinney will likely be forced to defend his SNP Government's record on health care.
It's also the last chance for opposition leaders to question Swinney before the Scottish Parliament breaks for summer recess.
FMQs will be streamed from Holyrood at noon on Thursday.
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Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
DWP urged to give early State Pension access to people with a terminal illness
People can only claim the State Pension when they reach the official age of retirement, which is currently 66. Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Jim Shannon has urged the UK Government to consider the 'potential merits of allowing early State Pension access for people with a terminal illness'. However, Pensions Minister Torsten Bell explained that the State Pension can only be accessed when someone reaches the official age of retirement, which is currently 66. In a written response to the Strangford MP, Mr Bell highlighted that people nearing the end of their life can gain faster access to financial support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) through the 'Special Rules for End of Life'. You can find out more about this on here. He explained: 'This enables people nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment, serve waiting periods and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit.' In the written response earlier this week, the Pensions Minister said: 'There has been no recent assessment. The principle of having a State Pension age that is the same for everybody has the merit of simplicity and clarity through providing an important trigger moment for planning purposes. It has always been the case that nobody can claim their State Pension before they reach their State Pension age. 'For those nearing the end of their life, the Government's priority is to provide people with financial support quickly and compassionately. The main way the Department does this is through the Special Rules for End of Life. 'These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment, serve waiting periods and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit.' These rules apply to five benefits that support people with health conditions or disabilities: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Attendance Allowance Universal Credit Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Online petition calling for early access to State Pension A new online petition is urging the UK Government to give older people on disability benefits early access to their State Pension. The State Pension age is currently 66 for both men and women, but is set to rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028. Petition creator George Bolgar has put forward a proposal that every person over 60 with a disability 'who has been unemployed for at least five years should be given the choice to retire and claim the State Pension immediately'. The 'allow elderly disabled people to claim the State Pension early' petition has been posted on the Petitions Parliament website. At 10,000 signatures of support it would be entitled to a written response from the UK Government, at 100,000, it would be considered by the Petitions Committee for debate in Parliament. The petition states: 'We think that any disabled person aged 60 who has been unemployed for at least five years should be given the choice to retire and claim the State Pension immediately. 'We think that keeping people on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) unemployment list when there is no chance of them ever becoming employed again is extra work for the DWP and extra stress for the disabled person. 'We think that once someone is above 60 years old and unemployed their likelihood of being employable is extremely reduced.' State Pension age rise The State Pension age is set to start rising from 66 to 67 next year, with the increase due to be completed for all men and women across the UK by 2028. The planned change to the official age of retirement has been in legislation since 2014 with a further rise from 67 to 68 set to be implemented between 2044 and 2046. The Pensions Act 2014 brought the increase in the State Pension age from 66 to 67 forward by eight years. The UK Government also changed the way in which the increase in State Pension age is phased so rather than reaching State Pension age on a specific date, people born between March 6, 1961 and April 5, 1977 will be able to claim the State Pension once they reach 67. It's important to be aware of these upcoming changes now, especially if you have a retirement plan in place. Everyone affected by changes to their State Pension age will receive a letter from the DWP well in advance. Under the Pensions Act 2007 the State Pension age for men and women will increase from 67 to 68 between 2044 and 2046. The Pensions Act 2014 provides for a regular review of the State Pension age, at least once every five years. The review will be based around the idea people should be able to spend a certain proportion of their adult life drawing a State Pension. A review of the planned rise to 68 is due before the end of this decade and had originally been scheduled by the then Conservative government to take place two years after the general election - which would have been 2026. Any review of the State Pension age will take into account life expectancy along with a range of other factors relevant to setting the State Pension age. After the review has reported, the UK Government may then choose to bring forward changes to the State Pension age. However, any proposals would have to go through Parliament before becoming law. Check your State Pension age online Your State Pension age is the earliest age you can start receiving your State Pension. It may be different to the age you can get a workplace or personal pension. Anyone of any age can use the online tool at to check their State Pension age, which can be an essential part of planning your retirement. You can use the State Pension age tool to check: When you will reach State Pension age Your Pension Credit qualifying age When you will be eligible for free bus travel - this is at age 60 in Scotland Check your State Pension age online here.


Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
How the new NHS 10-year plan affects YOU – from fat jab roll outs to banishing the 8am GP scramble and AI docs
It comes as Wes told The Sun Britain will be 'fat free' within a decade with more people given access to weight loss jabs HEALTH CHECK How the new NHS 10-year plan affects YOU – from fat jab roll outs to banishing the 8am GP scramble and AI docs Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BRITS are about to see their beloved NHS transformed into the 'Neighbourhood Health Service' as part of the Government's long-awaited 10-Year Plan today. Ministers will vow to keep millions of Brits in England out of hospital and help them on their doorsteps before they fall seriously ill. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Millions of patients will be treated closer to home under plans to 'fundamentally rewire' the NHS in England Credit: Getty Images - Getty 2 Sir Keir Starmer said the NHS needed to 'reform or die' Credit: AFP The future will revolve around local health centres open six days a week outside of hospitals and GP practices. People will be offered help from doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists and even job advisers in the community. Services will vary locally, with some areas sending teams door-to-door to reach vulnerable and hard-to-reach patients. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Health Secretary Wes Streeting want to end 'perpetual firefighting' in hospitals that are buckling under the demand. The plan promises thousands more doctors, widespread use of technology and AI, and extra help with mental health, job advice and weight loss. It comes as Wes told The Sun Britain will be 'fat free' within a decade with more people given access to weight loss jabs PM Sir Keir said: 'It's reform or die. 'Our 10 Year Health Plan will fundamentally rewire and future-proof our NHS so that it puts care on people's doorsteps, harnesses game-changing tech and prevents illness in the first place.' The Government wants to move the focus of the NHS away from hospitals, which have become overloaded. Since 2011, waiting lists have ballooned from 2.5million to 7.5m. Wes Streeting brutally slams Kemi AND Farage and demands Tories say sorry for how they ran the NHS in blistering attack The rate of four-hour A&E waits increased to 40 per cent from less than 10 per cent, and around three in 10 cancer patients wait two months or more for treatment, up from closer to one in 10. Public satisfaction with the NHS has slumped to a record low of 21 per cent. Ministers said that by 2035 the majority of non-emergency care will take place outside of hospitals. People will be able to get scans and tests, straightforward treatments, check-ups and broader life help from the neighbourhood clinics. Local hubs may also dish out debt advice and job support, ministers say. The Government has vowed to fix staff problems by hiring more doctors, encouraging UK medical training and rewriting doctor contracts to improve funding. What's changing in the NHS? A massive overhaul will shift care closer to home and ease pressure on packed hospitals. Here's what the new 'Neighbourhood Health Service' means for you: 200 new Neighbourhood Health Centres open 12 hours a day, 6 days a week Centres staffed by nurses, GPs, paramedics, pharmacists, health visitors, rehab teams, and more Clinics may go door-to-door to find illness early Most care outside hospitals in homes, pharmacies, GP surgeries, and health centres NHS app upgraded with AI doctors to answer questions, book appointments, take notes, and write letters More doctors, nurses, and dentists trained and recruited in the UK Dental graduates must work in the NHS for at least 3 years before going private More cash will be funnelled into working-class areas in a bid to shrink the health gap between rich and poor. Wes Streeting is dismantling time-wasting quangos to cut paperwork, save money and speed up changes to the health service. He has called for 'more doers and fewer checkers' and his department is dissolving the NHS headquarters to take supreme control of local health boards. And the NHS app will be turbocharged so patients can book their appointments, check waiting times, quiz an AI doctor or send questions to real medics via their smartphones. 'Makes the NHS simpler' The Health Secretary said: 'Our plan will turn the NHS on its head. 'By shifting from hospital to community, we will finally bring down devastating hospital waiting lists and stop patients going from pillar to post to get treated.' Daniel Elkeles, chief of NHS Providers which represents hospital bosses, said: 'This is a win for patients who will be better informed and empowered to direct their care as never before. 'It makes the NHS simpler, ensuring quicker decisions and innovations getting to frontline services faster. 'This is a recipe that offers the prospect of progress where previous plans have faltered.' Finance experts warn the plans will be costly – but the PM and Health Secretary refuse to pump endless cash into the NHS without results. Many parts of the plan already happen in some areas but need to be rolled out nationally. Others have been promised in previous schemes, such as 2019's Long-Term Plan, but failed due to a lack of money or time. A 'castle built on sand' Sarah Woolnough, chief of the King's Fund think-tank, said: 'There is plenty to welcome but the public will want to know why it will be different this time. 'Unlike previous plans, this plan will not come with promises of significantly more funding or staff. 'We won't necessarily feel the changes tomorrow or even next year, but if the NHS and its staff are given the support, resources and political cover to deliver the changes the plan proposes, the health system could feel very different in five to 10 years' time.' The Government have said the cash to pay for the new service will come from the £29bn boost to NHS funding announced in the last Budget. The Conservative MP and shadow health secretary Edward Argar said the NHS needed "reform, not just more cash" and warned that Labour's plan had to be "real and deliverable for patients". Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said the whole 10-year NHS strategy would be a "castle built on sand" unless ministers tackled what he described as a "crisis in social care".


The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
New NHS 10-year plan marks start of ‘major renewal of Britain', Starmer pledges
A new 10-year-plan for the NHS marks the beginning of a 'major programme of renewal and rebuilding that will transform the entire country', Sir Keir Starmer has said. The Prime Minister will unveil his vision for the NHS in a major speech on Thursday, as he seeks to shift focus away from several chaotic days in Westminster. The plan will 'fundamentally rewire' the health service and will focus on 'three big shifts' in the way the health service operates, Sir Keir is expected to say. Writing for broadcaster LBC ahead of the speech, Sir Keir attempted to move on from a fractious week in Parliament which saw him U-turn on welfare reforms following the threat of a major rebellion by his MPs, as well as scenes of Chancellor Rachel Reeves crying in the Commons. The Government is moving on to its 'next phase' he wrote in an LBC op-ed, adding: 'A major programme of renewal and rebuilding that will transform the entire country. Once again making Britain a nation where you work hard and reap the rewards. A Britain you feel proud to live in once again.' The Government will get the NHS 'back on its feet and fit for the future' Sir Keir pledged. The new plan, which will be published on Thursday, sets out how the NHS will move from analogue to digital, treatment to prevention, and from hospital to more community care. The 'status quo of hospital by default will end', according to the Government, with care shifted into neighbourhoods and people's homes. By 2035, the intention is that the majority of outpatient care will happen outside of hospitals, with less need for hospital-based appointments for things like eye care, cardiology, respiratory medicine and mental health. New neighbourhood health services will be rolled out across the country to bring tests, post-op care, nursing and mental health teams closer to people's homes. The aim is to give people access to a full range of services, leaving hospitals to focus on the sickest, with neighbourhood health centres opening at evenings and weekends. New services will also include debt advice, employment support and stop smoking or obesity services – all of which affect people's health. Community outreach, with people going door to door, could also reduce pressure on GPs and A&E, the Government said. Ahead of the speech, Sir Keir said it was time for the health service to 'reform or die'. 'Our 10-year health plan will fundamentally rewire and future-proof our NHS so that it puts care on people's doorsteps, harnesses game-changing tech and prevents illness in the first place,' he added. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the plan would deliver 'one of the most fundamental changes in the way we receive our healthcare in history'. Mr Streeting also told the Sun newspaper that he would work to widen access to weight loss jabs beyond the obese people who can currently get them on the NHS. 'The jabs are a route not just to lower weight, but lower taxes,' he added, suggesting that expanding the treatment would improve the nation's health and lower costs. Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary, Professor Nicola Ranger urged the Prime Minister to 'back up his plan with a clear one to turn around the shortage of nurses in all local communities. 'Moving care away from overcrowded hospitals is urgent and necessary but it will prove impossible whilst this part of the healthcare workforce is so depleted and undervalued,' she added. The Government's political opponents were sceptical about the plan, with Conservative shadow health secretary Edward Argar insisting that it must provide reform and 'that reform must be real, it needs to be deliverable, and crucially it must deliver results for patients'. Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey said the plan 'will be a castle built on sand until ministers finally tackle the crisis in social care'.