NHS trust reveals improvement on cancer target
BBCWaiting times for cancer care for patients in Shropshire have improved and a key NHS target has been met, according to their latest statistics.
However bosses at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust (SaTH) admitted they needed to do more to further raise standards.
In November 2024, data showed just over two-thirds of people - 68.8% - who went to SaTH for a diagnosis got an answer within 28 days - that had risen to 86% in the latest figures, gathered in November 2025.
Ned Hobbs, from the trust, said increases in staffing had helped.
He added there had been a "huge effort from lots of colleagues" and a lot of work had been done to get people tested more quickly and to get the results reported sooner.
Faster diagnoses also made the hospital experience less stressful for patients, Hobbs said.
According to NHS targets, all hospital trusts should:
- Diagnose or rule out cancer in 75% of cases within 28 days of urgent referral
- Ensure the whole journey takes no longer than 62 days in 85% of cases
On the latter figure, the current figures for SaTH showed 70.2% of cases were treated within the 62 days - below the target but higher than the 64% revealed in November 2024.
Hobbs said the second phase of their improvement programme would focus on improving that record and trying to further improve waiting times.
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