Some Suffolk cancer patients were forced to wait 195 days before they could start their cancer treatment last year, new figures reveal.
Under the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), some patients were waiting up to 171 days to see a cancer specialist after their GP urgently referred them to hospital.
Patients should be seen by a consultant within 14 days being referred by a GP.
The figures, obtained in a Freedom of Information request by the Labour Party, also revealed that patients face waits of up to 67 days for their tests or scans, when they should receive diagnosis within 28 days.
The figures also showed that some patients were forced to wait 195 days to start cancer treatment, when it should be 62 days after an urgent referral by a GP.
Dr Angela Tillett, chief medical officer at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: "At ESNEFT, we are starting treatment for 73% of diagnosed cancer patients within 62 days of their referral, compared to a national average of 59%.
"Providing timely cancer care to patients is one of our fundamental standards and our teams are working very hard to see and treat all patients as quickly as possible."
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Dr Tillett added: "We know there is more we need to do to reach the national waiting time standards for patients, particularly as the number of people being referred with suspected cancer continues to rise.
"The long waits given here include some complex circumstances and we would like to reassure patients that the vast majority of cancer patients are seen much more swiftly."
Recently, the chief executive of Ipswich Hospital, Nick Hulme, apologised to anyone in Suffolk still waiting for treatment, after it was revealed that more people are stuck on waiting lists in the UK than ever before.
ESNEFT, which oversees Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals, added that 69% of cancer patients in 2022/23 had their first consultant appointment within two weeks.
They also highlighted that 71% were treated within 62 days and 60% were diagnosed or discharged within 28 days.
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