SNP SHOULD SPEND £500M 'KITTY' AND CUT CANCER WAITING TIMES

Scottish Conservative leader demands the Government meets own targets

- By Richard Elias

THE SNP has been told it must use the more than £500million of unspent funds to establish an emergency cancer care fund to bring down cancer treatment waiting times.

Earlier this week, it emerged that one in three patients in Scotland do not begin to receive treatment within the government's own target time.

Now, the Scottish Conservative leader is demanding that money is spent to rectify that situation.

Russell Findlay was speaking after it was revealed that in one health board, NHS Borders, fewer than half began treatment within the 62-day target. This statistic even prompted Public Health Minister Jenni Minto to admit that lives are being lost because of late cancer diagnosis.

But there was fury from SNP critics after it was announced that Health Secretary Neil Gray, inset below, is currently in Japan on an official trip instead of tackling the crisis.

Yesterday, Mr Findlay stepped up pressure on the Scottish Government to act, and rounded on First Minister John Swinney.

He said: “Behind these new and bleak statistics are real people.

“For them and their families, the SNP’s culture of failure can be the difference between life and death.

“This government's flagship NHS Recovery Plan of 2021 is failing patients — just as we warned.”