Wednesday 21 October 2026
SaTH has significantly improved its performance, with more patients receiving an earlier diagnosis and faster treatment for cancer.
The Trust has delivered its best ever 62-day referral to treatment performance for cancer.
In August 2026 (latest published figures), 76.7% of patients started treatment for cancer within 62 days of referral. The Trust is now 41st out of 122 reporting Trusts in the country, which is a significant improvement compared to 18 months ago (112th/122 in February 2025). The Trust is working towards achieving 80% by March 2027 and the national standard of 85% during the following financial year.
The Trust also continues to improve its performance for diagnosing or ruling out suspected cancer within four weeks of referral.
In August 2026, 87.8% of patients with suspected cancer referred to the Trust received a diagnosis or had it ruled out within 28 days. The national 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) performance target is 80%.
It means the Trust is the fifth best performing trust in the country for the 28-day FDS after being the bottom placed Trust just over 18 months ago (119th/119 in February 2025).
The progress has been made through the delivery of the Trust’s cancer services transformation plan which includes:
- Reducing the time from referral to first outpatient appointment
- Timely access to diagnostics – tests and scans such as CT, MRI and Non-Obstetric Ultrasound (NOUS) – with the time from initial cancer diagnostic request to the scan taking place and results being reported back being typically under 10 days, critical to early cancer diagnosis.
- Investment in workforce, including the expansion of specialist cancer nursing and patient navigator roles.
There has been an expansion of radiotherapy capacity, including an additional linear accelerator (LINAC) as well as the introduction of new and innovative treatments, alongside continued development of the Trust’s cancer clinical trials portfolio. There are also plans for additional chemotherapy capacity in Telford as part of the Trust’s Hospitals Transformation Programme.
Work has also focused on bringing care closer to patients’ homes, reducing unnecessary hospital visits, and strengthening personalised cancer care so patients receive support and care that reflects their needs.
Ned Hobbs, Group Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at SaTH, said: “This is positive news for our patients who are experiencing shorter waits for a diagnosis and the treatment they need.
“Thank you to our fantastic teams who have been instrumental in driving these improvements with empathy, kindness and compassion. We know we have more to do, but these improvements reflect the determination of staff to ensure our patients are seen, diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible.”
Dr Andrew Cowley, Consultant and Clinical Lead for Cancer Services, said: “Waiting for a diagnosis or to have cancer ruled out, and then waiting for treatment to start, is an incredibly worrying and anxious time for patients and their loved ones.
“We are proud of the progress made so far, which is the result of the commitment of our cancer teams and all supporting services to deliver timely, high-quality person-centred care for patients.”