Ombudsman Orders Apology Over Cancer Delays at Mid and South Essex NHS Trust

Overview

• The patient, identified as Mrs S, was referred in January 2023 and received an ovarian cancer diagnosis on 21 March after a CT on 16 February and a biopsy on 15 March.
• Her diagnosis took 49 days and treatment had not begun until 81 days after referral, breaching NHS England targets of 28 days to diagnose and 62 days to start treatment.
• The PHSO said she would have begun chemotherapy on 3 April if waiting time standards had been met, at which point she was still fit for treatment.
• She later became too unwell to receive chemotherapy and died in 2023, with her son reporting distress over delays and an unsafe discharge shortly before her death.
• The trust apologised and cited an integrated improvement plan and new technology to boost cancer appointment capacity, as performance against the 62‑day target remains about 46–47% through October 2025.