Three-month wait for urgent bowel cancer checks

ALMOST two out of every three public patients sent to a leading hospital for urgent bowel cancer checks are waiting up to three months for treatment — despite a 28-day target being imposed by the HSE.

Figures revealed in the health service’s latest HealthStat update show that a significant number of potentially seriously ill patients are waiting longer than they should at Tallaght Hospital.

The issue specifically relates to people with possible signs of bowel cancer which, while potentially fatal, can be treated if detected at an early stage.