CANCER patients in North Staffordshire are skipping their treatment so they can go on holiday and their absence is damaging their hospital's chances of hitting Government targets.

Doctors say taking a fortnight's break after being diagnosed will not hit patients' chances of recovery but it is placing the University Hospital of North Staffordshire's performance in peril.

Now managers fear the trend is partly to blame for the trust failing to hit a key directive that 85 per cent of patients must be having therapy within two months of first visiting their GP with suspected cancer.

Latest figures show around 10 cases breached the deadline in July to give the hospital a rate of 76 per cent – and pull down the average for the year so far to 83 per cent.

Experts say another factor is the complex nature of some of the tumours referred to the specialist Hartshill centre from smaller surrounding hospitals which take longer to detect and plan treatment for.

The lapse came in the same month that the University Hospital opened its new £30 million cancer unit.

Officials pledged they are committed to bringing the figures back into line over the next few months.

But they revealed they may appeal to Whitehall to amend the way cancer care is monitored so hospitals are granted more tolerance if the reason for any breaches are out of their control.

Deputy chief executive Chris Calkin said: "We are in the hands of patient choice to some extent if people decide to go ahead with a holiday and leave the treatment until they return.

"We are not saying they should not go on vacation but the clock keeps ticking while they are away and we can get punished by missing the overall two-month cancer target."

At their monthly board meeting yesterday, trust lay directors were left baffled about why patients would put a holiday before treatment for their cancer.

But medical director Robert Courteney-Harris, pictured, said: "These patients are making a legitimate choice and are not being obtuse. With a lot of tumours, two more weeks will not make a big difference.

"And those with the most serious cancers may ask what they have to lose if they try and enjoy some quality time on holiday."

Sue Attwood of Meir Heath, whose brother-in-law Andrew Melville from Hanley died of lung cancer last year, said: "During his three years of treatment he never missed an appointment. In fact he would arrange holidays around the treatment. I cannot believe people would put holidays before going into hospital and I'm sure Andrew would have been just as surprised."