Health Minister’s praise for staff at Vic’s award-winning, innovative service

Humza Yousaf MSP was at the hospital to see the work of NHS Fife board’s award-winning Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Service (RCDS).

It was launched in 2021, and provides a new clinical pathway to support the earlier diagnosis of patients with non-specific symptoms of possible cancer.

NHS Fife was just one of three health boards in Scotland which initially piloted the development of Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services.

On his visit, Mr Yousaf met with advanced clinical nurse specialist, Katie Wilkin; lead cancer clinician, Neil Cruickshank; Dr Mairi Bowlerwell, RCDS GP lead, and Jane Anderson, radiology head of service, along with Carol Potter, chief executive; and Dr Christopher McKenna, medical director.

The Cabinet Secretary also met with a number of patients who had been referred to the RCDS to learn about their own personal experiences of the service.

His visit coincided with the publication of an independent interim report by the University of Strathclyde looking at data from the first year of the RCDS. It found that across the three services, more than 12% of patients cared for received an early cancer diagnosis, with a further 33.8% receiving a diagnosis of a non-cancerous health issue.

Mr Yousaf said: “I was a great supporter of the RCDS at the start and very pleased that the data demonstrates the value of it. Almost 1000 people have through the system across the country, and almost 100 with a cancer diagnosis - that is 100 people who get treatment earlier than they would have. The data speaks for itself.”