Nearly all cancer patients in Bradford are waiting no more than two months for treatment after seeing their GP, according to a new report.

The NHS Cancer Plan, drawn up in 2000, said that by 2005 no patient would wait longer than 62 days from urgent GP referral to first treatment, or no longer than 31 days from diagnosis to first treatment.

Last July, 92.7 per cent of patients were treated within the 31 day target and 75.8 per cent within the 62 day target.

The report, by cancer tsar' Mike Richards, herald a revolution in cancer care across the UK. Figures showed that in England 99.3 per cent were treated within the 31 day target and 93.8 per cent of patients were treated within the 62 day target.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke's Hospital, saw 153 patients within the two month target - the equivalent of 94.7 per cent.

Only eight patients were not seen within the target time.

Airedale NHS Trust missed the national target, however, only seeing 86.7 per cent of patients within 62 days. Fifty-two were seen - a further eight had to wait more then the two months.

In a separate target area, the aim of treating patients within 31 days of the cancer diagnosis being made, Airedale saw 100 per cent of its patients.

Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust just missed the target, with 98.8 per cent of cases being seen.

Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt said intensive efforts by the NHS had resulted in "quite extraordinary progress" over the last year.

She said: "We know with cancer that the earlier you diagnose, the more chance you have of survival."

Hospitals have redesigned their cancer services to ensure they follow patients throughout the system, something that often did not happen before the cancer waiting time initiative was launched.

Doctors and specialist nurses in different medical areas - from surgery to oncology - are now often organised in "multi-discipline" teams.

The figures released yesterday for the period ending June 30 are an improvement for Bradford on the previous period, from January to March of this year.

The previous figures showed a quarter of cancer patients in Bradford waited more than two months for treatment after referral by their GP - one of the worst figures in the country.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust managed to treat only 75 per cent of cancer patients within the 62-day Government target time - against a national target of 95 per cent.

Airedale NHS Trust only just missed the target with a figure of 94.6 per cent.

In the 31 days target all Airedale patients received treatment within the target time.

Bradford fell below the required 98 per cent standard with 96.2 per cent.

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