ATTEMPTS to hire a top nurse to be responsible for Colchester's cancer patients have hit delays after no suitable candidates applied.

Hiring a lead cancer nurse was one of the key components of Colchester Hospitals Trust's response to last year's cancer scandal.

Two candidates were interviewed after the role was advertised on the NHS jobs website.

But a board of governors meeting yesterday heard neither met the trust's requirements.

For more on the fightback after the cancer scandal, see Friday's Gazette