Less than half of patients with urgent referrals for breast symptoms are seen within two weeks when cancer is not suspected.
A total of 101 people referred for an urgent assessment were not seen in the target two-week period in the first quarter of the year.
In April, 72 per cent of patients were still waiting to be seen two weeks after their urgent referral.
These patients were not suspected to have cancer but sent by their GP to be urgently assessed due to their symptoms.
If a GP believes that a patient is likely to have breast cancer, the patient must be urgently assessed within two weeks.
However, women under the age of 30 with a lump in their breast, an infection that fails to respond to antibiotics or other symptoms which are not suspected to be cancerous, are still referred for an urgent assessment with an “aim” of being seen within two weeks.
Margaret O’Dwyer, director of commissioning and business delivery for Bury’s clinical commissioning group, described the figures as an “area of major concern”.
A 26 per cent increase in demand for breast services has been noted as one of the reasons for the “really poor performance”.
There were improvements to waiting times in May and June, but the results remain below the 93 per cent two-week target.
Almost 91 per cent of patients referred for suspected cancer were urgently assessed within two weeks in the first quarter of the year, leaving 218 patients waiting for longer.
