When Jeff Gibson was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, he thought he would be able to access the treatment he needed through NHS Scotland. But after two years of successful immunotherapy, the 52-year-old Edinburgh solicitor was forced to travel long distances and pay privately for life-prolonging modern radiotherapy in England. Jeff is now a supporter of our #CatchUpWithCancer campaign – which pushes for fair access to cancer treatment for every UK patient.
Jeff Gibson, 52, has spent his professional life trying to get the best possible result for his clients. The Edinburgh solicitor prides himself on going above and beyond when representing others. But when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, he did not anticipate having to fight for his own treatment.
At the start of the pandemic, Jeff was admitted to his local hospital with excruciating stomach pain. A week later, his kidney was removed when tests showed a tumour the size of an orange. He was then told he had around two years to live.
Jeff began a new form of immunotherapy treatment in September 2020 that would end after two years, at which point his treatment plan would be reviewed. The immunotherapy treatment stopped, and over an 18-month period, Jeff developed seven new tumours.
SABR Radiotherapy
Jeff was told he could benefit from Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) which uses many smaller, focused beams of radiation. Despite his consultant recommending this treatment, Jeff was told he could not have it through NHS Scotland, and he could not pay to have it privately in Scotland either.
He said: “My expectation when I was diagnosed was that I would be fully treated by NHS Scotland. I knew about private healthcare and never expected to need it. I was impressed with the treatment I had until September 2022, but since then I feel the onus has been on me to prolong my life.
Instead, he was forced to pay £33,000 to have one tumour treated in England with SABR.
Jeff said: “I am considered well enough to travel around England for treatment, but not well enough to receive care in the country where I live, even though I am willing to pay for it if I must.
“When you are fighting for your life, you do what you have to do.”
In 2023, Jeff learned he had three new tumours near or in his spine, lungs and duodenum. This time he was referred to a different private hospital, again in England, who successfully treated all three growths, again with SABR Radiotherapy.
Jeff has been left frustrated and confused as to why he is deemed ineligible for radiotherapy by NHS Scotland, even though it could buy him precious time. He has offered to pay for his own radiotherapy treatment in Scotland, as the equipment is available, but his request has been turned down.
He added: “My personal perspective is that I want, and deserve, radiotherapy. I understand that it is not realistic to spend thousands of pounds on someone who has two weeks to live, but that is not the case here. I was given two years, I’m still here after four because I have fought and paid for treatment and I am very much alive with a lot to live for. I have friends and family that I love dearly, I’m still going on holiday, and I’m moving to a house in the countryside in October.
“Radiotherapy destroyed seven of my tumours, which helped me greatly. I have been able to travel and live my life.”
Fair access to treatment
Jeff has now spent more than £100,000, not including travel and accommodation, and travelled around England to Manchester, Oxford, Guildford and Southampton for treatment that is available in Scotland, but that he is not deemed ‘eligible’ for.
In 2024, he successfully fought his case to have his immunotherapy treatment reinstated, but recently learned this has not worked as hoped. He is continuing to push for treatment that can extend his life.
He said: “This feels like a political and financial decision to me. I know my doctors want to help me, but their hands are tied, and I believe this is based on financial decisions. Yet we treat heart patients with very expensive surgeries not knowing what the outcome will be.
“If I was my client I’d be saying ‘you deserve this, and if we can get this treatment for you, we can open the door for others.”
Sign the #CatchUpWithCance petition (HERE).
