MP John Baron has attacked the lack of bowel cancer prevention services available to patients in Basildon.

Speaking at Health Questions in parliament yesterday the Tory politician challenged the Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, about bowel cancer screening throughout the district.

The programme was supposed to begin nationally two years ago and could save lives by identifying cancers early.

Each year, bowel cancer claims 14,000 lives across England and Wales.

Yet Mr Baron told Mr Johnson how he had received a letter from the South West Essex PCT stating that no screening invitations had been sent out to patients locally because Basildon Hospital has not yet been accredited for the screening programme.

He said: “We’re two years into the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program- me, and yet roll-out in the East of England is lagging far behind other regions.

“A recent letter from my local primary care trust confirms that no hospital in Essex has yet been accredited to the programme, and therefore no invitations to screening have been issued locally.”

In response, Mr Johnson said that he would look into the issue.

Commenting afterwards Mr Baron stressed: “I fought hard to help get the screening programme started two years ago, but progress since then has been simply too slow across the East of England.

“Screening saves lives by catching cancer earlier and giving doctors more time to act.”