Essex NHS Trust ordered to apologise as "delay after delay" impacted Chelmsford mother's care
The retired history teacher and mother-of-two from Chelmsford died in 2023
A grieving son has described how his mother faced "delay after delay" at a hospital where half of cancer patients start treatment within two months.
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust has been ordered to apologise to the family of the 67-year-old woman, known only as Mrs S, by England's health ombudsman.
She was described as heavily involved in her local community, as she volunteered, sung in choirs, and played tennis.
She first visited her GP in January 2023, with uncomfortable abdominal bloating, and was referred to the trust.
She was then given a CT scan on February 16th, a biopsy on March 15th, and a diagnosis of ovarian cancer on March 21st.
Mrs S was told that she would not survive the cancer, but chemotherapy could extend her life.
Her treatment was scheduled to start a month later, but delays in diagnosis and treatment meant she was no longer well enough to have the treatment, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) said.
The Ombudsman said that if the trust had met its waiting time standards, she would have been able to receive the chemotherapy.
The PHSO highlighted that Mrs S' diagnosis took 49 days, and her treatment did not start for 81 days after the referral.
Targets at the time set by NHS England were for cancer to be diagnosed within 28 days of referral, and treatment to begin within 62 days, the PHSO said.
In February 2023, some 47.6% of cancer patients were treated within 62 days and figures suggested that by July 2025, this figure had dropped to 46.1%.
The equivalent figure for October 2025 - the latest data available - was 47.1%.
The PHSO concluded that failings by the trust caused distress to Mrs S and her family.
Mrs S' son said:
"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.
"My mother and I kept asking questions and for updates but never got anywhere and the whole situation was just confusing and frustrating.
"After we finally had the diagnosis, we were almost relieved and we expected treatment to start straight away. But again, it took too long to confirm the chemotherapy date."
PHSO Paula Sussex said: "In this case, we recommended that the trust should investigate its performance against national targets and make a robust plan for how it will improve.
"The trust has committed to carrying out this work and will be rolling out new technology to help it allocate resources more efficiently and increase capacity for cancer appointments.
"While this will sadly not change what happened in this case, it highlights how one complaint can make a difference.
"Because of this investigation, other patients and families should experience wait times that are in line with national guidance"
Dawn Scrafield, chief executive of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We know that waiting for cancer diagnosis and treatment is a worrying time and we offer sincere apologies to Mrs S's family for the delay in her treatment.
"Demand has increased, and we are reviewing how we manage the need for more diagnostic services.
"We have begun an integrated improvement plan, working with our health and care system partners to speed up treatment times and get patients to the right place at the right time.
"Cancer care is one of our key priorities, and we can already see our wait times reducing in some cancers as we deliver extra clinics and theatre scheduling."