Queen’s Hospital NHS trust celebrates hitting cancer treatment targets for a whole year
Members of the radiotherapy department at Queen's Hospital with the new Halcyon machine. Photo: BHRUT - Credit: Archant
Barking and Dagenham’s NHS hospital trust is celebrating after hitting cancer treatment waiting time targets for an entire year – a benchmark that hasn’t been managed nationwide in almost 13 years.
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust (BHRUT), which runs Queen’s Hospital in Romford and King George Hospital in Goodmayes, has hit the national 85pc cancer referral target for 12 consecutive months.
This means that the vast majority of patients referred to either of the trust’s hospitals for cancer treatment in the last 52 weeks have been seen by consultants and started their treatment within 62 days.
The last time that 85pc target was hit nationwide was December 2015.
And BHRUT has managed this feat for an entire year, despite having one of the busiest cancer services in the country – treating just under 23,000 patients last year.
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Dr Sherif Raouf, divisional director for cancer and clinical services, said: “Everyone at the trust can be very proud of this achievement. I’d like to thank them all for their fantastic effort.
“I’d also like to thank GPs across the community for the part they have played.
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“Historically, cancer has been a real challenge for our community, and we have all struggled to provide the quality of service that we would want to. We have all worked really hard to make improvements for our patients.
“There’s a lot more to do, but it’s good to be able to say that we’re moving in the right direction – providing care more quickly, and to a consistently higher standard than ever before.”
In the last year, the trust has invested heavily in cutting edge radiotherapy technology, including the installation of the UK’s first Halcyon machine – a new system which delivers state-of-the-art cancer care, which is faster, more accurate and more comfortable for patients.
Dr Raouf continues: “To have the most up-to-date technology is important, but it’s also about the patient experience. The Halcyon system is allowing us to offer high quality, high speed, more accurate radiotherapy in a more patient-centred way.
“As we continue to install new machines this year, we will soon have one of the most up-to-date cancer centres in the NHS.”
