HUNDREDS of patients with suspected breast cancer were not seen on time at the Mid and South Essex Trust, figures show.

NHS England data shows 1,000 patients with suspected breast cancer were referred by GPs for urgent investigations at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust in December.

Of these, just 679 or 68 per cent were seen by a consultant within the recommended two-week window – down from 97 per cent in December 2019.

Charity Breast Cancer Now said the "frightening consequence" of such vital targets being missed across England was that more women could be living with the disease without knowing.

It was also well below the national NHS target for 93 per cent of all cancer patients to be seen within this timeframe.

Across England, the proportion of patients seen within a fortnight fell from 90 per cent in December 2019 to just 71 per cent in December last year – the lowest figure for any month since records began in 2009.

Breast Cancer Now said the latest figures were "deeply worrying" and encouraged women to contact their GP if they find any new or unusual breast changes.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive of the charity, said: “Facing longer waits at an already incredibly difficult time can cause women huge anxiety, and the frightening consequence of these vital targets being missed is that more women could be living with undetected breast cancer due to delayed diagnoses.

"This issue has to be addressed as early diagnosis is key to giving treatment the best chance of success."

NHS figures show just two-thirds of patients with breast cancer symptoms, when cancer was not initially suspected, were seen within two weeks in December – also a record low.

At the Mid and South Essex Trust, 234 such patients were referred by GPs in December, with 173 seen within two weeks.