Scottish Referral Guidelines (SRGs) for Suspected Cancer

In 2023, the Scottish Government commissioned the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) to conduct a full clinical review and update of the Scottish Referral Guidelines (SRGs) in accordance with  current evidence and clinical consensus.  

CfSD commissioned Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and Cancer Research UK (CRUK) to undertake a review of current international cancer referral guidelines and emerging evidence for each tumour group. Relevant demographic data was also obtained from Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland (PHS). 

The SRGs have been developed to support healthcare professionals to identify and refer people with symptoms suspicious of cancer. The Guidelines will also aid secondary care clinicians in vetting referrals to ensure people with symptoms suspicious of cancer are prioritised for further assessment. In addition, they describe the impact that socio-economic and health inequalities can have on cancer referrals. The Guidelines will also help healthcare professionals to identify those who are unlikely to have cancer and may be managed or referred through other pathways. 

The Guidelines support delivery of the Cancer Strategy for Scotland’s (2023-2033) earlier diagnosis vision, to reduce the proportion of cancer diagnosed at a later stage (3 or 4).

The full Guidelines can be found on the Right Decision Service.

A summary of all SRG changes can be viewed here.

If you’re a member of the public, you can find out more about possible cancer symptoms via Get Checked Early.