A CANCER patient who needs urgent surgery has had his operation cancelled twice in eight days.

Ian Henshaw's operation for a tumour in the oesophagus at Maidstone Hospital was cancelled on October 15 and again on Monday.

The family of Mr Henshaw, from East Brabourne, near Ashford, say without the operation he will have to take another course of chemotherapy.

His wife, Pauline, stressed: "We only have a three-week window of time before he needs the chemotheraby again. That started on October 15 and time is running out."

Maidstone and Tunbridge NHS Trust said it had been unable to find enough critical care nurses on the two occasions Mr Henshaw was to have surgery.

It added that on the last occasion a bed had been made available for him until 11pm on Sunday but it was then needed for a critically ill patient.

A spokesman added that the surgery was rescheduled for this Thursday.

This case is another blow to the Trust, which has been rocked this month by the C-diff scandal in which about 90 people died. Maidstone Hospital was one of the trust's three hospitals affected.

Full story in this Thursday's Ashford edition of the Kentish Express