MORE than 15 per cent of cancer patients in Shropshire cancer patients waited two months or more to start treatment following a referral from their GP.

Between October 2017 and September 2018, 1,091 cancer patients were urgently referred to hospital by their GP, but 180 did not start their treatment within 62 days, according to the latest NHS figures.

The government has a target of 85 per cent of referrals to start treatment within two months.

This is to allow for the minority of patients who choose to delay their course of treatment. This may include chemotherapy, surgery or radiation therapy.

In Shropshire CCG, 84 per cent of patients began treatment within two months of an urgent GP referral, slightly below the NHS target.

That is higher than in 2016-17, when 83 per cent of patients started treatment two months after referral.

The latest time period, June to September, was the worst on record in England for cancer waiting times. Around three quarters of CCGs missed the GP referral target.

The best record is in Surrey Heath CCG where 92 per cent of cancer patients started treatment within two months. But in Thurrock CCG, Essex, it was just 63 per cent.

Dr Fran Woodard, executive director of policy and impact at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “These figures are further evidence of a worrying trend which demonstrates that the pressure on cancer services is truly beginning to bite.

"We must not forget that at the heart of these figures are thousands of cancer patients anxiously waiting for referral for diagnosis or to start treatment.”

She said it is "imperative" the Government addresses the challenges facing the workforce in the NHS Long Term Plan.

"We cannot expect world-class cancer care for patients in the future without enough staff with the right skills to deliver it."

Across England the percentage of patients starting treatment within two months has dropped from 87% in 2012-2013, to 80 per cent in the first half of 2018-19.

The operational target hasn't been hit since 2013.

Dr Nicola Strickland, president of the Royal College of Radiologists, said: "More evidence of the ongoing downward trend away from the NHS’s 62 day referral to treatment target is stark but unsurprising in view of the increasing referral rates for suspected cancer.

"The cancer care system is having to treat more and more patients with rationed workforce, equipment and support, when it urgently needs more capacity."

Dr Strickland said more oncologists and radiologists need to be recruited urgently.

She added: "It’s hard to imagine waiting time figures improving anytime soon."

Dr Julie Davies, director of performance and delivery at NHS Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust who we commission to provide cancer services in the county’s two main hospitals, have managed to achieve the target of 85 per cent of referrals to start treatment within two months. However, the overall CCG figure was brought down as it includes patients who choose to use providers outside the county, which are not meeting the target. Nationally, performance in quarter two on the 62 day referral to treatment pathway has dipped to 78.6 per cent, some way below the 85per cent target.

"The CCG performance has continued to be several percentage points above the national average in the first two quarters of the year, although not achieving the target. There is a lot of work going on to support treatment times for cancer patients to tackle what is a national problem.

“We are working on recovery plans with Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust as our main provider of services in the areas where improvement is needed. There is also wider improvement work underway which is based on guidance from the West Midlands Cancer Alliance to improve pathways and performance. Patient numbers are going up and here in Shropshire we have seen a five per cent increase.

She added: "We are also seeing patients with more complex cases. This means their cases take longer because they may need more tests and may already be having treatment for another condition, which needs to be factored in.

"Treatment decisions are made with the patient to help them get the right care and some patients also want time to consider what their options may be.”