Just 43% of urgent cancer referrals to Harrogate District Hospital are being seen on time, according to new figures.
Under national targets, 93% of cancer patients are required to see a specialist within two weeks of an urgent GP referral.
But Harrogate hospital’s performance is now significantly below this.
A report to the trust’s board, which includes figures up to August this year, shows how the figure for two-week waits has been in gradual decline since April.
Managers at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust have attributed to the decline to increased demand.
The matter has seen officials at the trust designate the performance under “matters of concern and risks to escalate”.
The trust said in board papers that additional breast clinic work to improve its performance included “outsourcing work to a private provider with additional clinics in place”.
Harrogate District Hospital’s two-week cancer waiting time performance. Data: Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.
The Stray Ferret asked the trust what was being done to improve waiting times for patients.
A spokesperson said:
“The two-week target performance for cancer has been affected by some large spikes in demand, in particular, specialty areas such as skin and breast cancer.
“Our clinical teams are providing additional clinics to address this and bring our waits back under the two-week target.
“For those patients who are unable to be seen within two weeks, the vast majority are seen just outside this target, and treatments, where cancer is confirmed, continue to be delivered in a timely manner.”
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