The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee will conclude its work in March 2026 ahead of the next Scottish Parliament election. While it will continue to meet, the Committee has agreed it will not consider petitions submitted after 10 October. This is to ensure all petitions currently in the system can be considered before the next Scottish Parliament election. It is also unlikely that the Committee would be able to schedule and meaningfully progress petitions submitted after 10 October before the election. Contact the Committee team at petitions.committee@parliament.scot for more information about the petitions process.
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Closed petition PE2193: Address Dangerous Delays in Paediatric Cancer Diagnostics
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to:
• introduce mandatory clinical standards to ensure that urgent paediatric cancer referrals are subject to the same maximum wait times as adult referrals
• require clear accountability and follow-up where a paediatric cancer referral is downgraded or delayed
• fund training and update guidelines to enable GPs and clinicians to recognise and escalate signs of cancer in children as promptly as they would in adult cases
• undertake a formal review into paediatric diagnostic delays in Scotland, to identify systemic failures and implement change.
Background information
Isla's journey began at the age of 15 when she was repeatedly referred and downgraded in her medical assessments. By the time a definitive diagnosis of cancer was made, it was too late, and her family was given the heartbreaking news that she had only months to live. Her passing has left a deep void in her family's life. If her medical condition had been treated with the same urgency as an adult's, she might still be with us today.
It is important that children and young people are assessed and treated with the same level of urgency and access to diagnostic tests as adults. No young person should be dismissed or have their symptoms underestimated simply because they appear healthy or are perceived to be too young for serious illness. This needs to be set in stone with all agencies.
Scotland continues to have one of the highest mortality rates among children under 18 in Western Europe. Strengthening early recognition, ensuring equal access to testing, and raising awareness within primary care are essential steps to prevent other families from suffering such unimaginable loss.
This petition was considered by the Scottish Parliament
1,533 signatures