The best performing hospital trusts where cancer patients are more likely to get first treatment in two months

• Waiting time targets in England to start cancer treatment are no more than two months (62 days).
• However, new data released by NHS England has revealed that nearly one in three (30.1%) cancer patients are not receiving their first treatment in this timeframe.
• Patient Claim Line has revealed the best performing hospitals which are seeing the highest amount of patients within the two-month target.

It’s been a challenging time for the NHS, from the pressures of the winter “quad-demic” to soaring waiting lists following the Covid pandemic.

New data from NHS England, released in April 2025, has revealed that cancer patients have also been impacted by longer-than-recommended waits.

It has shown that nearly one in three (30.1%) cancer patients are not receiving their first treatment within the waiting time target of two months (62 days), between the date the hospital receives an urgent suspected cancer referral and the start of their treatment.

In April 2025, 27,347 patients were treated for cancer from an urgent GP referral, of those 8,245 patients were not treated within the NHS set target.

Only 69.9% of people in England received their diagnosis and started their first treatment within 2 months of an urgent referral in April 2025, the target set by NHS England is 85%.

However, some hospitals are performing better than others. Medical negligence experts at Patient Claim Line analysed NHS England data to reveal which hospitals are seeing patients within the two-month target.

Which hospital trusts are the best performing for cancer treatment?

The data revealed that Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust came out on top, treating 96% of patients within the 62-day standard set by NHS England, with Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust coming in second, treating 92% of patients within the set timeframe.

Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and InHealth Limited were closely followed, with 92% and 90% of patients treated within the 62-day timeframe, respectively.

These are the 18 best performing hospital trusts for cancer care in England:

1. Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - 96%
2. Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - 92%
3. InHealth Limited - 90%
4. East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust - 89%
5. Bolton NHS Foundation Trust - 87%
6. The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - 86%
7. Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - 86%
8. Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust - 86%
9. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust - 86%
10. Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust - 85%
11. Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust - 85%
12. Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - 85%
13. London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust - 85%
14. Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust - 84%
15. West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust - 84%
16. The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust - 84%
17. Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - 83%
18. Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - 83%
19. Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - 82%
20. Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust - 82%

You can find out more about cancer waiting times and current guidelines for patients at Cancer Research UK.