Written Question · S7W-01863 · Session 7
What estimate it has made of the number of clinical nurse specialists who specialise in neuro-oncology, and what steps NHS Scotland is taki…
The question
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of clinical nurse specialists who specialise in neuro-oncology, and what steps NHS Scotland is taking to ensure that all brain tumour patients have access to a named clinical nurse specialist.
The answer
On 2 June 2026 PSD Scotland published data on the number of Clinical Nurse Specialists across NHS Scotland for the first time since 2018, Clinical Nurse Specialists | Turas Data Intelligence. These data are published as Official Statistics in Development and PSD Scotland have a published plan to develop these into Official Statistics, New statistics on Clinical Nurse Specialists.Through the Cancer Strategy and Cancer Action Plan, we are supporting NHS Scotland to improve access to named contacts for cancer patients, including through the Single Point of Contact (SPoC) approach. Evaluation has shown that SPoC services saved almost 4,000 hours of Clinical Nurse Specialist time over a 12-month period, enabling CNSs to focus on patients with more complex needs.The 2024 Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey found that 93% of patients were given the name of a Clinical Nurse Specialist or other named contact during their care.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S7W-01863 by reference.