Shropshire hospital trust slashes cancer waits in latest figures

The trust which runs Shropshire’s two acute hospitals has achieved its best ever figures for cancer referrals, new data shows.

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The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) was ranked 112th of all 122 trusts in England just 18 months ago for cancer waits.

But latest figures show that in August, 76.7 per cent of patients started treatment for cancer within 62 days of referral - SaTH’s best performance yet, which now places it 41st out of 122 reporting trusts in the country for cancer waits.

SaTH says it is is working towards achieving 80 per cent by March 2027 and the national standard of 85 per cent during the following financial year.

The trust, which runs Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, had also continued to improve its performance for diagnosing or ruling out suspected cancer within four weeks of referral.

In August 2026, 87.8 per cent 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 per cent.

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 (119 out of 119 trusts in February 2025).

The progress has been made through the delivery of the trust’s cancer services transformation plan.

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, cancer: “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.”