Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital (inset)
THE proportion of cancer patients starting treatment within two months at the Dorset University Hospitals Trust fell to a record low in February, figures reveal.
As NHS performance against the two-month target also reached its lowest level nationally, Macmillan Cancer Support said the latest statistics reveal the enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on cancer services.
NHS data shows that at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, just 71.6 per cent of cancer patients started treatment within 62 days of an urgent GP referral in February.
That was down from 78.5 per cent in January, and the lowest rate since records began in 2009.