Woman boss at centre of Colchester Hospital bullying storm: Head of cancer services put on leave as police investigate claims waiting figures were fiddled Fears that 22 patients were put at risk after waiting for cancer treatment Female administration workers raised alarm to watchdog and managers Internal report by hospital now accepted to have been inadequate By Sophie Borland and John Stevens Rachael West, 49, who has been put on leave amid claims that figures on waiting times were fiddled at Colchester General Hospital This is the hospital manager at the centre of claims that staff were "bullied" into fiddling figures on cancer waiting times. Rachael West, 49, has been put on leave from her job as head of cancer services at the NHS trust that runs Colchester Hospital in Essex. The trust is being investigated by police over fears that 22 patients were put at risk because they were made to wait up to four months for vital treatment. Miss West has not been seen at work for several weeks, although the trust denies she has been suspended. Insiders say, however, that she is on "special leave." Colchester Hospital University NHS Trust was referred to the police this week by the Care Quality Commission. The watchdog launched an inquiry after being contacted by two female administration workers who reported that they were being "bullied" to alter statistics to meet government targets that the first phase of cancer treatment should be completed within 62 days. Yesterday it emerged that the whistleblowers had first alerted their managers at the start of last year. An internal report was commissioned and completed by February 2012, but that is now accepted to have been inadequate. The head of cancer services had been put on 'special leave' at Colchester General Hospital (pictured) Earlier this year one of the women emailed the trust's £165,000-a-year chief executive Dr Gordon Coutts - but he sent her a one-sentence reply and failed to do anything. In addition, a senior cancer specialist, who formerly worked at the trust, called on Dr Coutts to resign - claiming that the culture of fiddling figures was "endemic." Dr Mark Aitken, who was forced to leave the trust last year, said: "The buck must stop with the chief executive. Responsibility lies with him. If he didn't know what was going on then there was something wrong with him. Dr Aitken, 75, was sacked from his role as a governor at the hospital after he complained that plans for a £24million radiotherapy centre were flawed. He said: "It is reprehensible. It is endemic. The problem is that people get rewarded for hitting targets. Grieving families have told of how their loved ones could still be alive today had their life-saving treatment not been delayed. The victims include four-year-old Mackenzie Cackett, who died of a tumour on the spine. His mother, Danielle Uren, 30, from Halstead, Essex, said doctors took seven months to diagnose the cancer and repeatedly failed to schedule tests. The whistleblowers contacted the CQC after managers failed to act on their concerns. Christina McAnea, head of health at Unison said: "In some cases they were being told to change data on the computer records. They were instructed by their managers to do it. According to an online CV, Miss West has been Cancer Services Manager at the trust for 13 years. A source at the hospital said: "She stopped coming into work a few weeks ago. Below the chief executive the buck stops with her. She is apparently staying with her sister in Kent, but a man who answered the door of the home refused to comment. A spokesman for the trust said: "The Trust takes the CQCs report very seriously. The Trust Board is commissioning an external investigation to determine whether staff have acted inappropriately and whether disciplinary action is warranted. This will include looking at actions taken by senior staff in response to the whistleblowing concerns.