Having a cancer diagnosis is a worrying and anxious time so it is very important that patients know that the cancer treatment offered in NHS Tayside is in line with practice across the rest of Scotland.
Medical Director Professor Peter Stonebridge explained, “We would like to reassure the public that the same same chemotherapy dosage regimens are offered to patients in Tayside as in the rest of Scotland. This includes offering 100mg of docetaxel.
“Every patient is treated individually and therefore treatments are tailored to the needs of the patient. The chemotherapy dosage given to a patient is fully discussed and agreed in partnership with the patient during their face-to-face consultation with their oncologist. The patient gives their consent to the treatment at this meeting.
“Patients are then offered a second consultation with their oncologist prior to the start of their treatment if they want to discuss any further concerns or have additional questions. Any patient can also contact their consultant directly at any time should they have any concerns regarding their treatment.
“NHS Tayside has strict protocols in place for consenting patients. In his review of case notes carried out after the Healthcare Improvement Scotland report into breast cancer treatment in Tayside, independent expert Dr David Dunlop states that he ‘found no evidence of anything other than exemplary practice around consent and communication in the records reviewed’.”
Background information
• The Healthcare Improvement Scotland report on the clinical management of breast cancer in NHS Tayside was published on 1 April 2019. It raised concerns about variations in treatment in Tayside compared with other Health Boards in Scotland.
• Following the publication of the report, NHS Tayside asked an independent expert, Dr David Dunlop, to review the oncology case notes of 14 patients who had died. Dr Dunlop concluded that ‘the prognosis of the individual patients would have been unlikely to have been affected by a variation in administered chemotherapy’.
• The Scottish Government Independent Advisory Group, set up to make recommendations for a Scotland-wide approach ensuring access to the same high level of cancer care and treatment across the country, reported its 19 recommendations on 26 August 2019.
NHS Tayside response to oncology dosing
Following media reports claiming that “Tayside doctors are still prescribing lower chemo doses to breast cancer patients despite agreeing to follow national guidelines”, we would wish to state that this is inaccurate.