A hospital trust is breaching waiting time limits for life-saving bowel cancer screenings, according to figures.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust (BHRUT) saw 55.6 per cent of its patients waiting for six weeks or more for colonoscopies, the highest rate in London.

The figures come from Bowel Cancer UK’s own research.

Colonoscopies assist with the early detection of bowel cancer, the UK’s second biggest killer form of cancer.

NHS targets dictate that all GP referrals for colonoscopies must be completed within six weeks, but currently more than 30 London hospital trusts are breaching this requirement.

Early detection of bowel cancer through colonoscopies can help to improve survival rates and more than half of bowel cancer patients are diagnosed as a result of a GP referral.

Charity, Bowel Cancer UK, is calling on the government to invest in more NHS staff ahead of the autumn budget statement due next month.

Asha Kaur, head of campaigns at the charity, said: “These waiting time figures present a worrying picture for patients and demonstrate the urgent need for the Government to make addressing this capacity crisis a national priority.

“If hospitals are expected to meet waiting time targets then they must be given the resources and capacity to enable them to meet these standards.”

A spokesman for the charity added: “The waiting times published by NHS England is further evidence that demand for diagnostic tests is outstripping capacity. Many hospitals are at breaking point because they simply do not have the capacity to meet the growing demand for these services.

“A lack of funding, limited resources and a shortage of staff to carry out the number of procedures needed are contributing to this.”

A spokesman for BHRUT said: “Patients referred with suspected cancer are continuing to be referred and seen within two weeks.

“We continue to hit the two-week referral national standard, and we have sustained the 62-day standard for cancer treatments for over a year now, making us one of the best performing organisations in the NHS in this area.

“We suffered a fire in May in our endoscopy unit at Queen’s Hospital which has had a big impact on our service. We have taken steps, including outsourcing some patients to other services, and running additional clinics and consultant appointments.”

They added: “Our clinical teams have triaged and prioritised patients according to their clinical need, so some patients with non-urgent referrals have had to wait slightly longer than usual.

“Our staff went above and beyond to keep patients safe during and after the fire, and have been working tirelessly to maintain a high level of service despite the huge challenges.

“We’d like to thank our patients for their continued understanding as we get the service back up to speed.”