Women from Tayside will no longer have to travel to other NHS health boards for breast cancer treatment now the service in the region has recruited key staff.
Breast cancer services in the area collapsed in the aftermath of a controversial government report into the use of lower doses of chemotherapy to reduce harmful side effects in 2019.
It claimed women were put at risk of their cancer returning, a conclusion refuted by the specialists involved.
The response prompted a staff exodus, with the last of two specialists resigning early last year.
The health board had struggled to recruit new doctors with several posts unfilled for an extended period, and over 360 patients from Tayside have been treated at Scotland’s other cancer centres since February 2022.
Many of these women would have been forced on a 80-mile trip for their care, which would normally have been delivered in Dundee.
Department rebuilds with staff recruited
But NHS Tayside say the department has been rebuilding, and now that key posts have been filled no one will have to travel for care.
Those recruited include a clinical oncologist who took up post last month, as well as two speciality doctors brought on after an international recruitment exercise.
They are now working in the breast service at Tayside Cancer Centre and will undertake advanced training to allow them to go on to apply for consultant posts.
In addition there is a new shared medical oncologist post who will be supporting the breast cancer service.
The new staff mean mutual aid agreements with the specialist cancer centres in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow can come to an end.
Around 365 patients had been asked to travel to these other centres for treatment as of July.
This was up from 315 in January, and led to accusations from Scottish Labour that women were being failed.
North East Scottish Labour MSP Michael Marra said the news women would no longer have to travel was welcome.
He added: “Rebuilding Dundee’s once world class cancer care and research reputation will take far longer but that is the task that now faces the board.
“The staffing structure in place, whilst an improvement, remains fragile and will require monitoring and support.
“Previous recruits heralded in parliament by the SNP First Minister departed again within months as they were immediately over-burdened by a service in crisis.
“This catalogue of failures cannot be repeated. I have been raising this issue in parliament for years, demanding action to protect the health of women in Tayside. The situation should never have been allowed to deteriorate in this way.”
He added: “The process of rebuilding capacity in this service has taken far too long due to the obstinate refusal of the Scottish Government to withdraw their own flawed report that led to the collapse of the service.
“Too many women have suffered as a result.”
