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Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

NHS trustNorth WestEngland
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How to read these chartsEach measure uses its own NHS England standard

Against the national standards

Each measure is drawn against its own NHS England standard: 95% for A&E within four hours, 85% for urgent cancer treatment within sixty-two days and 99% for diagnostic tests within six weeks. The charts do not share a standard and the three cancer measures are never added together.

Care Quality Commission

What CQC currently says

CQC rates Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Requires improvement overall. These are the judgements underneath it. They are separate judgements and CQC does not add them together.

The body as a whole

  • CaringGood14 February 2024
  • EffectiveRequires improvement14 February 2024
  • ResponsiveRequires improvement14 February 2024
  • SafeRequires improvement14 February 2024
  • Well-ledRequires improvement14 February 2024

Most recent judgement 14 February 2024. Read it on the CQC website

Monthly performance against national standards

Hover or use the arrow keys to read any month, with the figures the percentage was worked out from. Every chart opens as a table.

A&E Wait Times

Patients seen within four hours

60.9%

Aug 2026

5,156 of 8,463 attendances

−0.3 pts since Jul 2026

Below the 95% standard · −34.1 points

50%75%100%95% standardMay 2025Aug 2025Nov 2025Feb 2026May 2026Aug 2026

August 2026: 60.9 per cent, 5,156 of 8,463 attendances. Below the 95% standard.

All 17 months as a table
A&E Wait Times by month, with the figures each percentage was worked out from.
MonthPerformanceOf attendances
Aug 202660.9%, Below the 95% standard5,156 of 8,463
Jul 202661.2%, Below the 95% standard5,413 of 8,847
Jun 202665.3%, Below the 95% standard5,545 of 8,498
May 202665.3%, Below the 95% standard5,425 of 8,306
Apr 202664.8%, Below the 95% standard5,089 of 7,849
Mar 202661.0%, Below the 95% standard4,933 of 8,089
Feb 202659.8%, Below the 95% standard4,279 of 7,155
Jan 202656.9%, Below the 95% standard4,430 of 7,781
Dec 202561.9%, Below the 95% standard4,709 of 7,611
Nov 202560.5%, Below the 95% standard4,862 of 8,043
Oct 202564.6%, Below the 95% standard5,205 of 8,054
Sept 202562.2%, Below the 95% standard4,823 of 7,756
Aug 202564.4%, Below the 95% standard4,799 of 7,449
Jul 202562.0%, Below the 95% standard4,934 of 7,963
Jun 202563.7%, Below the 95% standard4,867 of 7,645
May 202559.9%, Below the 95% standard4,657 of 7,777
Apr 202560.1%, Below the 95% standard4,481 of 7,455
Dips every January are national, not local. NHS England monthly A&E data

Waiting times (RTT)

Referral to treatment: waiting under eighteen weeks to start treatment

67.6%

Jul 2026

21,733 of 32,138 people waiting

+0.2 pts since Jun 2026

Below the 92% standard · −24.4 points

40%70%100%92% standardJul 2025Sept 2025Nov 2025Jan 2026Mar 2026May 2026Jul 2026

July 2026: 67.6 per cent, 21,733 of 32,138 people waiting. Below the 92% standard.

All 14 months as a table
Waiting times (RTT) by month, with the figures each percentage was worked out from.
MonthPerformanceOf people waiting
Jul 202667.6%, Below the 92% standard21,733 of 32,138
Jun 202667.5%, Below the 92% standard22,084 of 32,730
May 202666.6%, Below the 92% standard21,468 of 32,255
Apr 202666.0%, Below the 92% standard21,048 of 31,892
Mar 202664.2%, Below the 92% standard19,650 of 30,603
Feb 202658.6%, Below the 92% standard19,229 of 32,838
Jan 202655.2%, Below the 92% standard18,227 of 32,997
Dec 202553.8%, Below the 92% standard18,236 of 33,921
Nov 202553.1%, Below the 92% standard18,623 of 35,072
Oct 202552.3%, Below the 92% standard19,213 of 36,726
Sept 202551.7%, Below the 92% standard19,408 of 37,571
Aug 202548.8%, Below the 92% standard18,587 of 38,056
Jul 202550.7%, Below the 92% standard19,535 of 38,536
Jun 202549.4%, Below the 92% standard18,670 of 37,764
Incomplete pathways: people still waiting, not those already treated. NHS England monthly RTT data

Diagnostic tests (DM01)

Waiting under six weeks for a scan, a scope or a test

80.1%

Jul 2026

6,802 of 8,491 people waiting

−3.8 pts since Jun 2026

Below the 99% standard · −18.9 points

70%85%100%99% standardApr 2026May 2026Jun 2026Jul 2026

July 2026: 80.1 per cent, 6,802 of 8,491 people waiting. Below the 99% standard.

All 4 months as a table
Diagnostic tests (DM01) by month, with the figures each percentage was worked out from.
MonthPerformanceOf people waiting
Jul 202680.1%, Below the 99% standard6,802 of 8,491
Jun 202684.0%, Below the 99% standard7,259 of 8,647
May 202682.5%, Below the 99% standard7,114 of 8,622
Apr 202681.1%, Below the 99% standard7,193 of 8,868
Fifteen test types together, from MRI to endoscopy. NHS England monthly diagnostics data

Cancer diagnosis (FDS)

Faster diagnosis standard: told the outcome within twenty-eight days

87.4%

Jul 2026

1,515 of 1,734 referrals

+1.3 pts since Jun 2026

Meets the 75% standard · +12.4 points

60%80%100%75% standardJan 2026Feb 2026Mar 2026Apr 2026May 2026Jun 2026Jul 2026

July 2026: 87.4 per cent, 1,515 of 1,734 referrals. Meets the 75% standard.

All 7 months as a table
Cancer diagnosis (FDS) by month, with the figures each percentage was worked out from.
MonthPerformanceOf referrals
Jul 202687.4%, Meets the 75% standard1,515 of 1,734
Jun 202686.0%, Meets the 75% standard1,381 of 1,605
May 202684.3%, Meets the 75% standard1,227 of 1,455
Apr 202682.8%, Meets the 75% standard1,166 of 1,409
Mar 202685.6%, Meets the 75% standard1,389 of 1,623
Feb 202683.8%, Meets the 75% standard1,243 of 1,484
Jan 202674.7%, Below the 75% standard1,178 of 1,578
Told whether they have cancer, not treated for it. NHS England monthly cancer waiting times

Cancer (31-day)

Decision to treat to first treatment within thirty-one days

93.5%

Jul 2026

172 of 184 treatments

−1.8 pts since Jun 2026

Below the 96% standard · −2.5 points

70%85%100%96% standardJan 2026Feb 2026Mar 2026Apr 2026May 2026Jun 2026Jul 2026

July 2026: 93.5 per cent, 172 of 184 treatments. Below the 96% standard.

All 7 months as a table
Cancer (31-day) by month, with the figures each percentage was worked out from.
MonthPerformanceOf treatments
Jul 202693.5%, Below the 96% standard172 of 184
Jun 202695.3%, Below the 96% standard162 of 170
May 202685.0%, Below the 96% standard153 of 180
Apr 202690.4%, Below the 96% standard132 of 146
Mar 202693.5%, Below the 96% standard158 of 169
Feb 202693.7%, Below the 96% standard148 of 158
Jan 202683.8%, Below the 96% standard114 of 136
Starts at the decision to treat, so it excludes the wait to diagnose. NHS England monthly cancer waiting times

Cancer (62-day)

Urgent referral to first treatment within sixty-two days

83.3%

Jul 2026

142 of 170.5 treatments

+0.4 pts since Jun 2026

Below the 85% standard · −1.7 points

60%80%100%85% standardJan 2026Feb 2026Mar 2026Apr 2026May 2026Jun 2026Jul 2026

July 2026: 83.3 per cent, 142 of 170.5 treatments. Below the 85% standard.

All 7 months as a table
Cancer (62-day) by month, with the figures each percentage was worked out from.
MonthPerformanceOf treatments
Jul 202683.3%, Below the 85% standard142 of 170.5
Jun 202682.9%, Below the 85% standard133 of 160.5
May 202680.1%, Below the 85% standard129 of 161
Apr 202686.6%, Meets the 85% standard109.5 of 126.5
Mar 202684.9%, Below the 85% standard120.5 of 142
Feb 202676.6%, Below the 85% standard106.5 of 139
Jan 202672.9%, Below the 85% standard83.5 of 114.5
The standard usually meant by 'the cancer target'. NHS England monthly cancer waiting times