ONE in three patients sent to be tested for bowel cancer are waiting more than six weeks, it has been revealed – as a charity blasts the figures as ‘unacceptable’.

Figures released by NHS England show that 32.7 per cent of those referred for a colonoscopy at Dorset County Hospital face a wait of six weeks or more.

DCH says it is working hard to reduce waiting times for endoscopic procedures for all patients.

It says the NHS England figures show the waiting times for all patients referred for endoscopic investigations, including those referred for conditions such as rectal bleeding, haemorrhoids and coeliac disease.

Hospitals are told to strive for less than one per cent of patients waiting for six weeks or more, under NHS standards.

Bowel cancer is the nation’s second biggest cancer killer, but experts say it is treatable and curable, especially if caught early.

There are two tests to diagnose the illness: a colonoscopy and an endoscopy.

At Dorset County Hospital 72 people out of a total waiting list of 220 waited more than six weeks for a colonoscopy according to the figures released this week. This is the second worst in the south of England commissioning region.

DCH performed better when it came to endoscopies, with just two out of a waiting list of 62 (3.2 per cent) waiting more than six weeks for an appointment.

Charity Bowel Cancer UK says that the cause for the delays is increased demand and a lack of capacity in hospitals.

The rising demand is thought to be due to a number of factors including an ageing population and increase in symptom awareness.

Asha Kaur, head of policy at Bowel Cancer UK, said: “These figures are very disappointing. It is unacceptable that patients are being made to wait more than six weeks for endoscopy tests. How soon someone is seen determines how early a diagnosis can be made.

“We know that if diagnosed at the earliest stage more than nine in 10 will survive for five years or more. However this drops significantly as the disease develops.

“Given the wide ranging impact that increasing demand and a lack of capacity is having on the ability to provide timely access to tests that can diagnose bowel cancer, the case for urgent investment is clear.”

“Investing in early diagnosis services for bowel cancer is critical to ensuring endoscopy units has sufficient workforce and infrastructure to carry out tests and that all units are working as efficiently as possible.”

A spokesman for Dorset County Hospital said: “The hospital is working hard to reduce waiting times for endoscopic procedures for all patients, and at the end of March, 97 per cent of colonoscopies and 100 per cent of flexible sigmoidoscopies were performed within the six week target.

"The figures released by NHS England show the waiting times for all patients referred for endoscopic investigations, including those referred for conditions such as rectal bleeding, haemorrhoids and coeliac disease.

“The target waiting time for endoscopic procedures for patients referred with suspected bowel cancer is 14 days from the receipt of the referral.

"Patients with suspected bowel cancer are referred for investigation either by their GP or through the Dorset Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.

"The current average waiting time for our patients for investigation is less than 14 days.

“The Bowel Scope programme runs in addition to these services, and is a routine screening service offered to everyone between the ages of 55 and 59 years.

"We would encourage everyone who receives an invitation to the programme to attend.

"The hospital offers daytime, evening and weekend appointments for this programme to make the service accessible to as many people as possible.”