A NEWLY-diagnosed cancer patient missed a vital hospital appointment - because he wasn't told until a day after it took place.

The pensioner received a letter last Thursday telling him to come to the Royal Blackburn Hospital - on Wednesday.

The letter was dated September 7 but postmarked the 12th.

A hospital boss has apologised for the error and said procedures were being reviewed.

The 70-year-old from Darwen was diagnosed with stomach cancer the Friday before. Now he must wait until September 27 for the next appointment.

A relative said: "I am absolutely disgusted. He is under enough stress and strain as it is. What sort of a place are they running?

"Even if it had come on Wednesday he would never have got to the hospital in time. He can't drop everything and rush to hospital."

She added: "September 27 is a long way away. Is the letter going to go astray again? They should see him immediately. It is not fair to people on edge like that.

"Two weeks when somebody has cancer is a long time."

The pensioner had already had a scan at the hospital the Tuesday after the diagnosis. His next appointment was to see a general surgeon.

Jacqui Booth, outpatients admin manager at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "I would like to apologise to the patient for an administrative error which meant that he was not notified in time to attend his appointment.

"We are currently reviewing our procedures to minimise the risk of this happening again."

Getting cancer patients seen to during the early stages of the disease is a key priority for the Government.

Hospital authorities are charged with making sure that urgent cancer patients have their first appointment within 14 days of being referred by their GP.

From cancer diagnosis to treatment, NHS trusts should see people within 31 days.