
34 hospitals in the north of England and Yorkshire and the Humber do not meet the NHS standard of less than one per cent of patients waiting more than six weeks for tests that could diagnose bowel cancer.
In one hospital in the region, 54% per cent of patients are waiting beyond the six-week waiting time target.
The research charity Bowel Cancer UK says the waiting times published by NHS England last week, Thursday 10 August, is further evidence that the demand for diagnostic tests are outstripping capacity.
They claim many hospitals are at breaking point because they do not have the capacity to meet the growing demand for these services. The charity believes a lack of funding, limited resources and a shortage of staff to carry out the number of procedures needed are contributing to this.