SWINDON health chiefs are failing to meet key cancer treatment targets, NHS figures show.

Ministers say no more than 15 per cent of cancer patients should be waiting more than two months to begin their treatments.

In Swindon last year, almost on in five patients - 19.3 per cent - were waiting more than 62 days. The previous year Swindon hit the national target.

Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group, which is responsible for paying for the NHS healthcare of people in the town, said it was looking at ways to boost its performance.

A CCG spokeswoman said: “We work very hard to achieve cancer standards, including first definitive treatment within 62 days following an urgent referral for a suspected cancer. Improving early diagnosis of cancer is a priority for Swindon CCG, and we will be introducing additional enhanced services to enable this.”

Across England more than three quarters of all CCGs are running below the operational target.

Dr Jeanette Dickson, vice president of clinical oncology at the Royal College of Radiologists, said the figures are a crude measure by which to judge cancer diagnosis.

“In an ideal world we would want it to be 100per cent,” Dr Dickson said.

However, she explained getting from the GP to treatment is a complicated process requiring many different appointments and staff.

“There is currently a shortage of radiologists and to a lesser extent oncologists. Some people will choose to delay the treatment beyond the two month time period.”

Dr Dickson said the time periods required for treating different forms of cancer are vastly different.

“With your average male prostate cancer patient, you will do nothing but examine and watch for ten years.

“However, with tongue cancer or aggressive lung cancer you need to start treatment within three weeks otherwise it’s likely the patient will have less chance surviving.”

Emlyn Samuel, head of policy development at Cancer Research UK, called on the Government to recruit more staff: “We know that local hospitals make every effort to meet this target, but shortages in NHS diagnostic staff put services under severe pressure.

“Waiting for tests or to start treatment can be an anxious time for patients, so the Government must ensure that there are more staff to deliver the tests and treatment that people need.”

In Swindon, GWH chiefs are aiming to recruit more radiologists by the autumn in a bid to tackle scan delays.

An NHS England spokeswoman said: “Cancer survival is now at an all-time high, but as part of our push for earlier diagnosis the NHS is deliberately putting itself under pressure by significantly increasing the number of people referred for quick cancer checks.”