THE Director for Nursing and Quality for the organisations that buy Slough and Windsor's clinical services has admitted more needs to be done nationally to improve cancer treatment.

She has made her comment after figures released by NHS England revealed that care needed to improve in eight out of 10 Clinical Commission Group areas across the country.

The Windsor, Ascot and Maidenhead CCG and the neighbouring Slough CCG both fell behind when it came to the percentage of cancer patients whose disease was caught at an early stage.

Only 43.3 per cent of cancer patients in the Windsor, Ascot, Maidenhead area has their disease diagnosed at the crucial early stage. While across Slough the figure was 36.3 per cent - the official 'national ambition' figure that CCGs are supposed to aim for is 50.7 per cent.

Both CCGs fared better when it came to patients referred urgently by GPs getting definitive treatment within 62 days.

Slough achieved 90 per cent success, Windsor Ascot and Maidenhead 86.3 per cent - the national ambition figure is 85per cent.

The percentage of patients still alive a year after diagnosis in Slough was 68.9 per cent and in the Windsor Maidenhead area 71.5 per cent - the national ambition figure is 70 per cent.

Finally, responses from people asked to rate their care was 82.3 per cent favourable in Slough, 87 per cent in Windsor, Ascot and Maidenhead. The national ambition figure is 89 per cent.

Sarah Bellars, director of nursing and quality for Slough and Windsor, Ascot, Maidenhead CCGs said: "Cancer treatment and outcomes nationally have improved markedly over the past decade but we still have more to do.

"A key focus in the near term is a development of a plan to reduce the time from referral to diagnosis to within four weeks. As CCGs we are working with our local partners to deliver the required improvements as we are committed to doing the best for our local population."