The body running west Kent’s two major hospitals has been told by NHS bosses to improve its “unacceptable” performance in cancer care.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust (MTW) is among the worst five performing trusts in the UK, having consistently failed to meet the agreed national target of treating patients within 62 days of being urgently referred by a GP.

That standard hasn’t been reached since 2013. In May just 54% were seen in that time.

Bosses have now received a scathing letter from NHS Improvement, the health service regulator, warning its “continued level of under-performance has now triggered both regional and national scrutiny”.

Indeed it emerged earlier this year one in four patients urgently referred to hospital by doctors haven’t been seen within the suggested time. The trust said the drop in standards was due to a combination of staffing issues and a “significant” increase in referrals. But NHS Improvement has demanded immediate results, telling the trust to undertake a clinical harm review for all patients who have waited a prolonged period of time, to see if the delay had a negative impact on their health.

Bosses were also told to engage in weekly oversight meetings to monitor progress. A spokesman for MTW said: “It is our absolute priority that we get back to delivering the national standard of 85% for cancer waiting times.

“We have implemented a robust action plan incorporating additional activity, such as increasing the number of outpatient clinics, endoscopy sessions and radiology, CT and MRI slots, as well as speeding up the recruitment process for specialist doctors and clinical staff.

“We are also reviewing and monitoring, daily, each patient who has been on the cancer pathway for 40 or more days to ensure they are referred as quickly as possible for the next stage of their treatment and receive the most appropriate care and follow-up during this period.

“We’re fully committed to getting back to meeting, and exceeding, the national standards for cancer waiting times.”