MANY Cancer patients at the two major care boards in Cumbria have to wait two months or more for treatment. 

North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, which runs Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle and West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven, was one of the worst performers in the UK as 59 per cent of patients had to wait over two months for treatment from diagnosis. 

The NHS target is 62 days, and no more than 31 days wait from treatment plan to treatment. 

Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board manages the Morecambe Bay trust hospitals Lancaster Infirmary, Westmorland General and Furness General Hospital. 41 per cent of patients have to wait more than two months for treatment.  

MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale Tim Farron is currently in talks with the new health minister Thérèse Coffey about how to resolve the issue in the region. 

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A spokesperson from North Cumbria Integrated Care said: "We understand the impact of a cancer diagnosis on our patients. It is really important to us that we reduce anxiety by starting treatment as soon as possible.

"That is why reducing the backlog for cancer patients is one of our top priorities. Cancer referrals have increased by 20% since 2019 and we have seen an increase in late-stage cancers being diagnosed which means patients have more complex needs.

"This has impacted how quickly patients can be seen. To address this we have developed a cancer service improvement plan and we are receiving some support from NHS England to deliver it." 

Scott McLean, the chief operating officer for University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay (UHMBT) said: "Ensuring patients have timely access to services when they need them is extremely important.

"Demand for cancer services at UHMBT has more than doubled since 2019 with, for example, an additional 611 patients seen in June 2022 as compared to June 2021.  

"This has placed additional pressure on outpatient, diagnostic test and theatre capacity - both within UHMBT and across neighbouring hospitals - meaning that on occasions, it is taking longer than we would like to see patients.

"We understand how hard it is for patients to wait a long time to be seen, we will continue to work hard to do what we can to reduce that wait."