NHS leaders in Birmingham and the Black Country have expressed concerns about the region’s performance in critical healthcare areas, particularly cancer treatment and A&E waiting times. These issues were highlighted during the NHS Birmingham and Solihull and NHS Black Country Joint Integrated Care Board (ICB) Cluster meeting on Monday, July 13.
Paul Taylor, Finance and Performance Chair, pointed out that “there are some areas of concern in performance within the system.” Data from Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) indicates that the target for A&E waiting times—ensuring at least 78% of patients are seen within four hours—is not currently being met. As of March 2026, only 72.56% of patients were seen within this timeframe, with a slight improvement to 73.15% in May.
In the Black Country, A&E waiting times fared slightly better, reaching 79.1% in May 2026, just below the target of 79.4%.
READ MORE: Quinton Residents Rally to Protect Beloved Tree-Lined Open Space from Auction
READ MORE: Stourbridge Cafe Owner to Rename Cob ‘Bellingham Bun’ if England Triumph Over Argentina
Cancer treatment performance is also a challenge. BSOL’s 62-day standard, which aims for patients to receive their initial cancer treatment within 62 days, missed its 75% target, achieving 72.44% in March 2026 and dropping further to 65.32% in April. However, the 28-day faster diagnosis target continues to show strength in BSOL, with an 85% achievement by the end of 2025/26 against an 80% goal, although this declined marginally to 83.92% in April.
The Black Country’s cancer performance reflects similar issues, with the 62-day standard at 72.1% against the 75% target and the 28-day faster diagnosis standard at 78.9% against an 80% goal.
A report to the board states that efforts are ongoing to improve cancer services: “Work continues on UHB specialty action plans to drive up (and sustain) cancer performance, which are scrutinised at the UHB Cancer Board. Tumour Specific Operational Groups are now being established for every tumour site. This initiative, previously slow to develop beyond MDTs, currently has breast cancer groups operational. Clinician engagement is increasing, fostering shared responsibility for operational performance rather than it falling solely on general managers.”
The data underscores the pressing need for continued focus and coordinated efforts to improve both cancer treatment timelines and A&E waiting times across Birmingham and the Black Country.