BackAn investigation by England’s Health Ombudsman following the death of a 67-year-old woman has triggered a systemic review of cancer treatment and diagnosis wait times at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) recently investigated the care of Mrs S who was treated at Broomfield Hospital, run by the Trust, in 2023.
The retired history teacher and mother-of-two from Chelmsford, had terminal ovarian cancer and died in April that year. Her son, who was 29 when his mother died, raised concerns about her care. PHSO’s subsequent investigation found there had been a delay in diagnosing and treating his mother’s cancer.
Mrs S’s diagnosis took 49 days and her treatment did not start for 81 days after the referral. NHS England targets at the time were for cancer to be diagnosed within 28 days of referral and treatment to begin within 62 days. After her son complained about his mother’s treatment, the Trust said that it had improved its performance on cancer wait times. However, PHSO’s investigation found the Trust’s performance against its treatment targets had declined.
In 2023, at the time Mrs S was being treated, the Trust failed to meet all of the NHS England cancer wait time targets. Only 47.6% of patients were treated within 62 days, compared to the national target of 85%. By July 2025, that had dropped to 46.1%. Trust figures show that at the end of August, 664 patients were waiting longer than 62 days to confirm a cancer diagnosis, or rule it out, and begin treatment.
Following its investigation, PHSO took the unusual step of asking the Trust to systemically review its performance against national cancer wait time targets, and develop a robust plan to help it meet treatment targets.
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Source: The Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman, UK
