A recent analysis, based on the first league tables of their kind, indicates that a significant majority of English NHS hospital trusts are not meeting national cancer treatment targets. The findings prompted experts to highlight a critical situation regarding patient care.
Specifically, the data revealed that 86 out of 118 trusts (73%) did not achieve the target of initiating cancer treatment within 62 days for 75% of patients following an urgent referral. Regarding diagnosis, the 28-day target, which aims for patients to be informed of a cancer diagnosis or its absence within one month of an urgent referral, also showed varied performance across trusts.
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust was identified as the lowest performer for the 62-day treatment target, with only 42.19% of its patients beginning treatment within the two-month timeframe. It also ranked second-lowest for the 28-day diagnosis target, with 59.21% of patients receiving a diagnosis within a month. Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust recorded the lowest performance for the 28-day diagnosis target at 57.51%.
Conversely, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust was noted as the top performer for the 28-day diagnosis target, achieving an 88.55% rate. In response to the findings, Susanna Daniels, chief executive of Melanoma Focus, emphasized the urgent need for the NHS and government to prioritize faster diagnosis and treatment. Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust stated it is increasing provision for diagnostic tests, outpatient clinics, and cancer surgery to reduce diagnosis and treatment times.
Source: www.theguardian.com