Dr Adam Bryson: "Timescale will not lapse"

Greater Glasgow NHS Board said the changes would affect patients who attend the Beatson and outreach clinics across the west of Scotland.

Announcing the measures, Dr Adam Bryson, the director of the centre, said: "We have an insufficient number of consultants and amount of consultant time to continue doing everything in the way we have been doing in the past.

"In developing these interim arrangements, we have sought to ensure that patients with newly diagnosed cancer, and those with recurrence of active disease are preserved.

"This ensures that the timescale within which they are seen will not lapse, however the place where they will be seen may change."

The recruitment process is under way to appoint replacement consultant oncologists and it is anticipated that the interview panel will meet early in February to consider applications received for the posts.

Catchment area

Dr Bryson said the substantial shortfall in consultants meant it needed to restrict the amount of time devoted to seeing return patients.

But he stressed that any patients affected by the changes, which came into effect on Friday, would have been individually assessed and that patients requiring urgent checks would continue to receive them.

"Where appropriate they will be offered alternative arrangements to be seen by another cancer specialist or their follow-up appointment may be postponed within clinically acceptable limits," Dr Bryson added.

Dr Nick Reed, the centre's clinical director, said: "These arrangements are a short-term measure and we hope to return to a more normal service as soon as possible."