SNP failing to fix screening programme for men at risk of fatal aneurysms

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton has today questioned why the Scottish Government is not doing more to rebuild a key screening programme to protect against potentially fatal aneurysms after new figures revealed that the number of men attending screenings has fallen sharply compared to pre-pandemic.

Men who turn 65 are invited for an initial screening to detect whether they have an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. Large aneurysms are uncommon but serious, requiring surgery to repair it and protect against a rupture that leads to death in 8 out of 10 cases. Where small aneurysms are discovered at initial screening, those men are invited to have regular screenings.

Figures from Public Health Scotland have now revealed:

• Only 74.1% of men were invited for screening before their 66th birthday, down from 97.4% pre-pandemic.
• Only 70.7% of eligible men were screened on time, down from 82.8% pre-pandemic.
• Just 19% of men deemed appropriate for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm repair surgery were operated on within eight weeks, down from 50.6% pre-pandemic.

Commenting on the figures, Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“Detecting dangerous aneurysms can be lifesaving so it is disappointing to see that the proportion of men being screened has fallen so dramatically.

“It used to be that virtually everyone was invited for screening on time but now the target is missed for more than a quarter. Where a potentially fatal problem is detected it is taking far too long to get these men the surgery they need.

“The government must rebuild this key programme. Far from recovering post-pandemic, things have actually got worse. This is yet another part of the NHS which is declining under the SNP.

“I am yet to meet a medic or patient who believes that Humza Yousaf’s so-called NHS Recovery Plan is enough to get our national health service back to where it should be.

“The country is being left with burned out staff and patients who feel as if they have been abandoned.”