Latest cancer figures show Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust is the best performing in Kent – meeting all its waiting time targets for the past year.
The quota measures how quickly patients are seen, diagnosed and treated – ensuring no one waits too long to find out if they have cancer or to begin life-saving treatment.
Some 7,231 patients were referred to the rapid access service at Darent Valley Hospital, in Dartford, last year - many of whom were reassured it was not cancer.
The trust also treated 869 people who came in as emergencies.
Operational manager for cancer and haematology Philippa Miles said: “The teams at Darent Valley and Queen Mary’s work extremely hard to ensure patients are seen within two weeks, and have increased capacity by providing extra clinics to meet demand.
The cancer admin team
“Sharon Willoughby, Cancer Patient Pathway Lead, meets with the service providers daily to ensure patients’ investigations are booked within an accepted timeframe and to follow up clinic appointments.
“It has been a real team effort. I would like to thank everyone for their continued support and hard work.”
A new, tougher target is coming in 2020 – and staff at Darent Valley have already started making plans for how to achieve it.
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