A man with lung cancer and a brain tumour has been batted from pillar to post for more than a month by the NHS.

When businessman Tony Maguire, 73, collapsed in his garden at Sutton Bridge on Sunday, June 18, he was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in King's Lynn.

He said he was left lying on a trolley waiting to be seen for more than an hour after the ambulance crew diagnosed heat stroke.

When a nurse diagnosed a possible stroke, he spent the night in A&E.

A brain scan the next morning showed a bleed and a mass on his brain. A CT scan also revealed a lung tumour. The next day he was moved to a respiratory ward for more tests.

On the Thursday, a consultant said a biopsy was a priority. But it couldn't be done until the following Monday.

Mr Maguire was sent home and his wife Sheila and family were told not to leave him on his own.

'On the Monday following nothing happened,' he said. 'Suddenly I was no longer priority but urgent. After a number of calls, I was told that the biopsy would be in two weeks but a PET scan was needed and could be done.'

Mr Maguire was referred to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, more than 50 miles away, which carried out the scan the following day. He also received an appointment for a heart scan. t

'I questioned the scan and was told it was a mistake, someone had ticked the wrong box,' he said. 'So now I realised that the system was not working.

'I asked to see the clinical director, he was busy. I asked to see his assistant and he was busy. In fact there was nobody for me to talk to. I had to make several telephone calls just to speak to the cancer nurse.'

Two weeks later, the biopsy sample was carried out. The consultant said the PET scan had come back clear. The only good news to date.

'I was advised that I would be referred to Addenbrooke's and they would determine the source of the cancers,' said Mr Maguire. 'This was followed by a meeting at the QEH, as Addenbrooke's had referred me back to King's Lynn for treatment and a meeting about a treatment plan the following Friday.

'We telephoned in on friday after waiting all day to be told that we were not even on the list that day for a call.'

Mr Maguire said a consultant called on Monday, July 17 and assured him his treatment would be discussed at a meeting that week.

Then he was told he was being referred back to Addenbrooke's. On Thursday, July 27, he was told he was being referred back to the QEH.

'I feel like a tennis ball being batted backwards and forwards until I have another brain haemorrhage or die from neglect,' he said.

Dr Nick Lyons, medical director at the QEH, said: 'While we are unable to discuss individual cases, we are disappointed to have heard Mr Maguire's experience.

'At the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, our aim is to provide the highest possible standard of care to our patients. We are always wanting to learn from patients' experiences and to improve our services. As medical director, I would be happy to speak with Mr Maguire to

discuss this situation.'

The hospital has consistently failed to meet its targets for treating cancers across the board throughout 2016.

Patients with other forms of cancer are supposed to receive initial treatment within 62 days of being referred by their GPs. But almost a fifth have had to wait longer.

Ciara Moore, its chief operating officer, said: 'Over the last 12 months, the trust has seen a significant increase in the number of referrals, especially in breast, head, neck and skin conditions.

'In some cases, patients have complex clinical conditions which must be treated before chemotherapy or other cancer treatments can safely commence.

'The trust's performance has ranged between 81pc to 84pc over the last 12 months and we are acutely aware that any delay in treatment has an impact on our patients.

'We have plans in place and working hard to achieve this target from September 2017.'