Bolton named in top three for cancer waiting times

A Greater Manchester NHS hospital trust has been named one of only three in England meeting the target waiting time for cancer treatment.

BBC analysis found that Bolton NHS Foundation Trust was one of only three out of 121 trusts in England to have met all key targets for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Angela Volleamere, consultant breast surgeon at the trust, said she thought it was an "absolutely phenomenal achievement".

She said she thought the difference between Bolton and other trusts was an "individualised package of care", including things like "individualised text messages". "All of our team members work together - not just to achieve this target but for our patient care also."

She said of the treatment process: "It's about trying to ensure that it is as painless and as simple as possible in a very difficult time, that's something we do very well at Bolton."

According to NHS targets all hospital trusts should:

• Diagnose or rule out cancer in 75% of cases within 28 days of urgent referral
• Begin treatment in 96% of cases within another 31 days
• Ensure the whole journey takes no longer than 62 days in 85% of cases

But, when BBC Verify looked at performance across each major cancer service in England over the past 12 months, data showed nearly one in four trusts had been missing all three targets from September 2024 to August 2025.

Bolton NHS Trust was found to be one of three cancer services that had met all three key targets for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

This puts Bolton among the best performers nationally - alongside Calderdale and Huddersfield and East and North Hertfordshire NHS trusts.

Dr Volleamere has worked at Bolton NHS Trust for 20 years and has been a consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon and clinical lead for breast services there for the past 10 years.

"What you have to remember is that target numbers are patients, individual people, and I think we do that really well in Bolton."

Dr Volleamere also said that in Bolton, if somebody came to the one-stop clinic they would have a cancer diagnosis, or it would have been ruled out, by nine days later - but this was still too long for a patient.

She said: "It's a stressful time. A week, and it is still too long and it's about remembering that a day is a lifetime to these people."

Other hospital trusts told BBC Verify about issues causing targets to be missed, including machines breaking down, referral letters being lost and staffing issues - causing appointment cancellations.

Dr Volleamere said Bolton NHS Trust had problems with things breaking down, and appointment changes - but said their patient-centred approach, such as "individualised text messages", helped patients remain involved with their care.

"I think we all have pressures, and we all have problems, but it's about that flexibility and remembering it's a person," Dr Volleamere added.

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