Princess Alexandra ranked one of the worst hospitals in the country for treating cancer patients quickly enough

PRINCESS Alexandra Hospital (PAH) is one of the worst performing hospitals in the country when it comes to treating cancer patients quickly enough.

PAH is ranked 118th out of 121 trusts when it comes to patients starting treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral.

The government has accepted waits were “too long”, but said it was “investing in the NHS to improve performance”.

Research shows getting treatment quickly is crucial, with every four-week delay reducing patient survival by an average of 10%.

We invited PAH to respond. Anna Jebb, Chief Operating Officer at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT), said:

“We are focused on improving the experience of our patients by reducing the time it takes to begin cancer treatment.

“To achieve this, we are progressing several initiatives, including enhanced clinical triage for all referrals, expanding our diagnostic and outpatient capacity, and reviewing external pathways for patients who need to be referred to specialist centres. In some services, we are developing a ‘one-stop’ diagnostic model so that patients can have all necessary investigations completed in a single visit.

“Our teams are working hard to meet the very high levels of demand for our services, and we are grateful for the commitment of our people and the support of our system partners.

“We are beginning to see positive progress against the cancer standards, although we recognise there is still more to do.”