ONE in ten women with suspected breast cancer in Worcestershire are being forced to wait more than two weeks for vital appointments.

Only 89 per cent of women in the county who are urgently referred to hospital are seen by hospital experts within target times set by the Government.

The remainder are being left not knowing whether they have been struck by the devastating disease.

Targets were introduced in April 1999, after it was decided all women who had an urgent GP referral should be seen for a first out-patient appointment at hospital within 14 days.

Nationally, an average of 95.8 per cent of women are seen, and many areas have a blemish-free record.

But a written Parliamentary reply has revealed many areas, including Worcestershire, have fallen short of the targets in recent months.

Worcestershire Health Authority met the guideline in 89.3 per cent of cases in the three months to July this year, the latest period for which figures are available.

Standards have been steadily declining throughout the county since the targets were introduced.

In 1999, 100 per cent of women were seen within the time limit. But a year on, the figure had fallen to 95.9 per cent, and has now sunk further.

"In terms of whether a woman is going to live or die, not meeting the targets is not going to make a lot of difference," said Pamela Goldberg, chief executive of the Breast Cancer Campaign, which raises funds for research into the disease.

"But in terms of hanging around waiting, not knowing whether you have got cancer, it's not a good thing psychologically"

A spokeswoman for the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said there had been some problems with the referral system.