Latest cancer target figures show Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust is the best performing in Kent meeting all cancer waiting time targets for the year.

The all-important targets measure how quickly patients are seen, diagnosed and treated, ensuring no one waits too long to learn if they have cancer or begin vital treatment.

More than 7,231 patients were referred to the rapid access service last year. Thankfully, the vast majority were told it was not cancer.

The trust also treated some 869 people who came in as emergencies.

The figures come as welcome news for both staff and patients.

Philippa Miles, operational manager for cancer and haematology said: “The teams at Darent Valley and Queen Mary’s work extremely hard to ensure patients are seen within two weeks and have increased capacity by providing extra clinics to meet demand.

“Sharon Willoughby, Cancer Patient Pathway lead, meets with the service providers daily to ensure patients’ investigations are booked within an accepted time frame and imaging reports are available for Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDT) and follow up clinic appointments.

“It has been a real team effort. I would like to thank everyone for their continued support and hard work.”

A spokesman for the trust said: “With a new target coming in for 2020, which will challenge teams to the limit, we have already started to make plans on how this target can be achieved by working closely with the CCG, our service providers and the MDT teams.

“By starting to work on the action plan now, we hope to be in a position to meet the target 2020.”