A retired history teacher from Essex died earlier than she might have after facing a series of devastating delays in her cancer diagnosis and treatment at an NHS hospital, an official investigation has concluded.
A Timeline of Missed Targets
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) found that Mrs S, a 67-year-old mother-of-two from Chelmsford, experienced significant hold-ups at the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. She first saw her GP in January 2023 with abdominal bloating and was referred for tests.
Despite the urgency of a cancer referral, her CT scan took place on 16 February, a biopsy followed on 15 March, and she finally received a diagnosis of terminal ovarian cancer on 21 March. This meant her diagnosis took 49 days, far exceeding the NHS target of 28 days.
Although chemotherapy was planned to extend her life, further delays meant treatment never began. The PHSO stated that if the trust had met national standards, she would have started chemotherapy on 3 April 2023, when she was still well enough. Instead, her treatment began 81 days after referral, missing the 62-day target.
Family's Anguish and Trust's Failings
Mrs S's son, a 31-year-old chartered surveyor, described a harrowing cycle of frustration. "I had trust in the NHS, so whenever they told us things like scans would happen, we believed them. But it was just delay after delay," he said.
"After we finally had the diagnosis, we were almost relieved and we expected treatment to start straight away. But again, it took too long," he added, revealing he still has nightmares about his mother being unsafely discharged without support before her death in 2023.
The ombudsman's report highlighted that the trust's failings caused significant distress and concluded that Mrs S's quality of life could have been improved, and she might have had more time with her family, with timely care.
Systemic Issues and Promised Improvements
The case sheds light on wider performance problems. When Mrs S's son complained, the trust said it had improved diagnostic wait times but admitted performance against the crucial 62-day treatment target had declined.
Data shows:
- In February 2023, only 47.6% of cancer patients started treatment within 62 days.
- By July 2025, this figure had dropped to 46.1%.
- The latest data for October 2025 showed a slight rise to 47.1%, still far below national standards.
The PHSO has ordered the trust to apologise to the family and to review its cancer waiting times. Ombudsman Paula Sussex said: "While this will sadly not change what happened... it highlights how one complaint can make a difference."
Dawn Scrafield, chief executive of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, offered "sincere apologies" and said an improvement plan was underway, citing extra clinics and new technology to allocate resources more efficiently. "We can already see our wait times reducing in some cancers," she stated.
