Home / Health / Hospitals Overwhelmed: Complaints Surge 40% Amidst Missed Targets
Hospitals Overwhelmed: Complaints Surge 40% Amidst Missed Targets
10 Aug
Summary
- Complaints to Derby and Burton Trust increased by 40% year-on-year.
- Only 37% of complaints were resolved within target response times.
- Cancer treatment initiation is significantly below national standards.
The Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB) experienced a substantial 40% increase in public complaints during the 2025/26 financial year, accumulating 1,800 grievances. Performance alerts have been repeatedly triggered as the trust only managed to resolve about 37% of complaints within target response times, far short of the 85% goal.
This situation exacerbates existing challenges in meeting key performance indicators. Notably, cancer treatment initiation for patients with urgent referrals stands at 61% within 62 days, falling below the trust's own trajectory of 71% and the national standard of 70%.
Capacity shortages and increased pressure on breast cancer services have been identified as contributing factors to the delays in cancer care. As of June, a backlog of 728 open complaints existed, with 95 unresolved for over six months.
