The NHS in Gloucestershire is making significant progress in providing timely and effective care for people with suspected cancer.

In June 2025, 85.5% of people had been given a diagnosis or the all-clear within 28 days of referral (known as the Faster Diagnosis Standard) against a national average of 76.8%.  Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust recorded the highest compliance with the 28 day target nationally in June, showing the significant progress that has been made in improving access and diagnosis for people referred with suspected cancer in Gloucestershire.

76.4% of people began treatment within 62 days of referral in June, exceeding the national interim recovery target. This improvement has been made possible by providing additional resource and capacity in skin related services where waiting times had been longer. In the same month, 93% of people began cancer treatment within 31 days of a decision being made to treat, above the national average of 91.8%.

Since January, around 5,000 current or former smokers aged 55 to 74 have been invited for a Targeted Lung Health Check. The initiative being piloted in Gloucester Inner City Primary Care Network aims to detect lung cancer at an earlier and more treatable stage by looking at how well a person’s lungs are working. This marks a significant step forward in addressing health inequalities and providing targeted support to our communities, with the initiative set to be rolled out at further PCNs over the next year.

So far, more than 1,800 people have attended a check, with seven people going on to be diagnosed with cancer, six of them at stage 1. Almost 800 people have had additional assessments in primary care for other lung and some heart conditions.

Early identification of lung cancer is critical to successful treatment, and identifying cancers at an early stage can help improve patient outcomes and lessen the impact on healthcare services over time.