Patients could be sent elsewhere in Scotland for procedures as soon as slots become available under a new plan to resume cancer surgery.

As part of the framework published today, NHS bosses are being asked to gradually reduce their reliance on private sector hospitals, which have done nearly 1,000 cancer operations on behalf of the health service since the pandemic began.

Operations across Scotland will be categorised against a single national clinical priorities list, with some patients being asked to go to a different centre in Scotland if their surgery needs to be done urgently or where covid-free facilities are not available in local hospitals.

It comes after Cancer Research UK calculated an additional 3,000 tests a day were needed to protect oncology staff and patients from covid-19.

Speaking today, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said the “majority of treatment has continued” but charities and medics have warned surgery has been particularly hard hit.

A key detail in carrying out procedures safely is the “physical separation” of sites dealing with covid-19 patients and those that focus on surgery.

Ideally, elective cancer surgery should take place in covid-free ‘green’ sites with patients moved outside their local health board if this is not available.

Alternatively, ‘amber’ zones which are set-apart areas in the same hospitals are to be used to separate confirmed and suspected virus cases from surgery patients.

Although the document states NHS institutions should be used in the “first instance”, the use of private hospitals is to continue, albeit with a “phased reduction”.

As part of a deal with the Scottish Government to do urgent breast and skin cancer surgery, 943 operations and nearly 1,250 outpatient appointments have been done at four private hospitals across Scotland.

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