STAFF shortages in NHS Fife led to suspected cancer patients waiting longer than they should for treatment and the health board overspending by millions of pounds.

Sixteen people told they may have the disease had to wait more than the maximum of 62 days which the board said was largely down to “staffing and capacity issues”.

A further six who were diagnosed with cancer did not start their treatment within the 31-day national target set down by the Scottish Government.

Asked if they were struggling to cope, director of acute services, Heather Knox, said, “Regarding staff shortages, it is true to say that, in common with other health boards, NHS Fife is experiencing some difficulties in recruitment – but we are confident that patient care is not being affected.

“Despite these challenges, it is important to note that there are currently 131 more people employed within the Acute Services Division than there were in 2012.” NHS Fife chief executive John Wilson gave an activity report to last week’s board meeting which gave a general picture of a service creaking under pressure with not enough staff, increased demands and missed targets.

It showed patients were waiting longer than they should for cancer treatment, diagnostic tests, discharge from hospital, surgery, outpatient consultations and in accident and emergency.

Unfilled vacancies and workers off sick have also contributed to a £3.5m overspend for the first four months of this financial year.

NHS Fife is currently advertising for 38 positions although they said the overall number of vacancies was higher.

As a result they are having to pay more money to bring in locums and bank staff to plug the gaps, at the same time as trying to find £16.7m “efficiency savings” to meet the government target. The cancer figures for 2013-14 showed that 16 people with suspected cancer, and six who were told they had cancer, were not treated within the target timeframes set down by the government.

Mr Wilson’s report said, “Virtually all breaches were in the lung and urology specialties, where staffing and capacity issues continued to be a major challenge to NHS Fife.” More than 1800 patients waited longer than the maximum six weeks for tests such as ultrasound, colonoscopy, CT and MRI scans.

Mr Wilson admitted “it is a challenge to improve and sustain waiting times for radiology against increasing demand” and that “CT, MRI and ultrasound tests are all affected by staff shortages, exacerbated by long-term sickness absence and maternity leave”.

Almost 1200 people had to wait more than 12 weeks for their first outpatient appointment – “some specialties are experiencing issues with recruiting to a number of consultant vacancies.

“This, along with the increase in referrals, creates a backlog of patients waiting over 12 weeks”, the report said. Delayed discharge was a persistent problem – the monthly figures for 2014 so far have not dipped below 100 – and Mr Wilson said, “The vast majority of delays are due to waiting for completion of pre-assessment and assessment of home care and residential care and the commissioning of packages of care.” The problems are also costing the health board. For the first four months of the financial year, the acute services division is overspent by £3.5m – there are underspends in some areas but overspends in the planned care directorate (£1.8m), the emergency care directorate (£2m) and the ambulatory care directorate (£267,000). In a report, director of finance Chris Bowring said the overspend was “predominantly driven by staffing costs”.

Asked to respond to the figures, Ms Knox told the Press, “In line with other health boards in the south-east of Scotland, NHS Fife is experiencing some challenges relating to surgical and radiotherapy capacity in Edinburgh for lung cancer.

“For patients with urological cancer we are addressing the waiting times locally by the allocation of additional medical staff resources.

“In relation to diagnostic testing, we acknowledge that we currently face difficulties, which, again, we are moving to actively address.” She continued, “In relation to the A&E waiting times, annually measured performance reveals that we have consistently maintained a four-hour compliance of around 95 per cent, which is higher than the Scottish average, and have improved our compliance by 1.2 per cent over the last year.

“This improvement has been made against a backdrop of increasing attendances at A&E over the last five years, paired with a growing general and elderly population. Moreover, the number of patients waiting more than nine weeks for treatment is more than 25 per cent lower than it was a year ago, largely down to the creation of new posts to maintain and sustain performance by ensuring capacity matches demand.”