Three in four NHS hospital trusts are failing to meet cancer targets, according to newly published league tables. Experts warn this shortfall represents a “national emergency” that could cost thousands of lives if urgent action is not taken.
Analysis shows that 90 out of 118 hospital trusts (76%) in England are failing to meet the target of ruling cancer in or out within 28 days of urgent referrals in at least 80% of cases. Meanwhile, 86 trusts (73%) are missing the target of starting treatment within 62 days for 75% of patients.
Delays in diagnosing and treating cancer mean worse outcomes, limited treatment options, and higher mortality rates. Cancer remains the UK’s biggest killer, responsible for one in four deaths.
Cancer experts warn of crisis
Paula Chadwick, CEO of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, called the findings “nothing short of a national emergency,” stressing that “delays in diagnosis and treatment cost lives.” Helen Dickens of Breast Cancer Now described the figures as “devastating,” while Susanna Daniels of Melanoma Focus said the delays were “deeply concerning.”
Alfie Bailey-Bearfield, chair of the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce, highlighted the urgency: “Each year, 90,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with less survivable cancers, which have an average five-year survival rate of just 16%. Time is absolutely critical.”
Best and worst performing trusts
The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust ranked worst in England on the 62-day treatment target, with only 42% of patients starting treatment within two months. It also performed poorly on the 28-day diagnosis target, meeting it just 59% of the time.
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust ranked the lowest on the 28-day diagnosis target, with only 57.5% of patients receiving a diagnosis within a month. By contrast, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust achieved the best score on the 62-day treatment target (87.3%), while Bolton NHS Foundation Trust led on diagnosis within 28 days (88.5%).
Government vows urgent action
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the league tables would expose where patients are being failed and help end the “postcode lottery” of care. “We must be honest about the state of the NHS to fix it. Patients and taxpayers deserve transparency about how services are performing,” he said.
The government insists the new ranking system will identify failing trusts and channel urgent support to improve waiting times, ambulance responses, and cancer outcomes.
NHS under pressure
The NHS has faced mounting strain in recent years from staff shortages, record waiting lists, and rising demand. League tables of this kind have not been published since the early 2000s, and their return highlights the scale of the challenge facing hospitals.
Experts stress that without immediate improvements to cancer diagnosis and treatment, the UK risks seeing survival rates stagnate or even fall compared to other high-income countries. Campaigners argue that cancer care must be prioritised as part of wider NHS reforms to ensure equal access to timely treatment across the country.
