ALL NHS patients in the area have new legal rights to fast treatment.

Anyone suspected of having cancer that is urgently referred by their GP will now have to wait no more than two weeks to see a specialist - and others referred for elective procedures will have the legal right to start treatment within 18 weeks.

The NHS Constitution gives patients the right to get the services that they are entitled to, and the power to challenge the NHS where it does not deliver.

A welcome move.

I only hope that the service can cope with increased referrals which are likely.

Pity the law wasn’t in force when my dad was ill last year. It took them six months to discover he had recurring cancer - and by then it was too late.

These new rights build on the significant achievements of the NHS in bringing waiting times from referral to treatment down to an average of around eight weeks, and saving lives through faster access to cancer specialists across the country.

From April 2012, all those eligible aged 40-74 will have the legal right to an NHS Health Check every five years to assess their risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease.

And patients should take up all offers of checks, it is plain stupid to ignore them.