Essex trust medical director accepts NHS England report identifying diagnosis and treatment delays and 'unsafe records'.
Serious failings in cancer services at Colchester hospital have been identified in an official report which warns that patients may have suffered harm as a consequence.
NHS England reviewed the care at Colchester hospital after the NHS regulator, the Care Quality Commission, found staff were bullied and pressured into falsifying information about patients' cancer care.
The CQC review prompted an investigation by Essex police, which is continuing. The NHS England report, published on Thursday, found failings in the organisation, management and infrastructure of cancer services.
The shortfalls included "unwarranted delays to diagnosis and treatment" – which the report said, could have endangered patients – as well as unsafe information and records systems.
"More worryingly, the immediate review confirmed the CQC finding that some trust staff had a lack of confidence that concerns would be listened to, borne out by experience of trying unsuccessfully to do so in the recent past," the inspection team said.
The review found no documented cancer strategy for Colchester hospital university NHS foundation trust, which was placed in special measures last month. There was an absence, in many cases, of clear pathways describing the flow of patients through diagnosis and treatment, and there were issues with recording and tracking important data. Staff faced an "excessive or pressured workload".
Five of the pathways – for urology, cancer of unknown primary origin, sarcoma, brain and central nervous system, and skin cancer – were described as particularly problematic.
Recommendations included creating up-to-date pathways, improving the handling of information and making sure cancer services were adequately staffed.
The report was published the day after it emerged that the trust's chief executive, Gordon Coutts, was leaving. Coutts, who had been on sick leave, expressed regret on Wednesday about the trust's problems with cancer services.
The trust's medical director, Sean MacDonnell, said the group accepted the report and recommendations in full. MacDonnell said: "The report identifies a number of problems in our cancer services which are extremely concerning but which we have started to address.
"However, it is important to stress to current cancer patients and their families that the main issues are with our processes, which we are determined to put right, and the report does not question the quality of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery for patients with cancer."
He said the trust was sorry for the worry, distress and concern caused for patients, relatives and carers, and that it had already started making improvements.
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