THE Royal Bolton Hospital has been a victim of its own success where breast cancer treatment is concerned.

Work to increase the number of referrals to the hospital from GPs when diagnosing breast cancer has led to a huge increase in the number of people having surgery.

But the hospital is struggling to meet demand.

David Wakefield, chairman of the hospital trust's board, raised concerns at the most recent board meeting on Thursday.

He was referring to a report presented to the board by Andy Ennis, chief operating officer at the hospital, outlining the pressures the hospital is under at the moment.

Mr Ennis reported: "We have seen a 20 per cent increase in cancer referrals because of the success of campaigns to refer from GPs but the capacity hasn't kept up.

"It's caught us all out in terms of breast cancer."

Figures in Mr Ennis' paper show between April and September, 2017 there was a shortfall of 2,063 patients who needed breast surgery or follow ups.

Urgent cases, like some cancer treatments, are prioritised by the hospital and in turn can lead to backlogs elsewhere. If the hospital cannot meet demand it is often elective procedures which are cancelled.

The report said: "The Trust has seen a significant increase in two-week wait suspected cancer referrals (20 per cent), and subsequently some planned surgeries have been postponed to deal with the clinically urgent patients."

Mr Ennis' report showed shortfalls in most areas of the hospital and said: "It is clear to see from the data that there are significant capacity shortfalls across a number of key specialties."

The areas with the most significant challenges include breast surgery, colorectal surgery and the ear nose and throat units.