NHS leaders in Birmingham and the Black Country have voiced concerns over the trust's performance in critical areas, including cancer treatment and A&E waiting times, after latest figures showed targets were not being met.
The NHS Birmingham and Solihull and NHS Black Country Joint ICB Cluster Board met on Monday, July 13, to review care provision across the regions. Paul Taylor, Finance and Performance Chair, acknowledged that there were "some areas of concern in performance within the system."
A&E waiting times below target
In Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL), data revealed that the target of seeing at least 78% of patients within four hours in A&E was not achieved by the end of 2025/26, with the figure at 72.56% in March. The most recent data for May 2026 showed a slight improvement to 73.15%, still below the target.
In the Black Country, A&E performance was marginally better, with May 2026 figures at 79.1%, just below the planned 79.4% target. The board noted that while the Black Country's performance was closer to the goal, it remained a cause for monitoring.
Cancer waiting times a persistent challenge
The 62-day cancer performance standard, which aims for patients to receive their initial treatment within 62 days of referral, remains a significant challenge for the board. BSOL missed its 75% target for 2025/26, achieving 72.44% in March. However, the following month saw a sharp decline to 65.32%.
In contrast, the 28-day faster diagnosis standard performed strongly in BSOL, reaching 85% by the end of 2025/26 against an 80% target, though it dropped slightly to 83.92% in April.
A report presented to the board stated: "Work continues on UHB speciality action plans to drive up (and sustain) cancer performance, which are scrutinised at the UHB Cancer Board. Tumour Specific Operational Groups are now being set up for every tumour site. This has been done through MDT's, but has been slow to get off the ground. Only breast currently operational. However, buy-in from clinicians around supporting operational performance is improving; rather than this being solely left with general managers."
Black Country performance
In the Black Country, the 62-day standard stood at 72.1% against the target of 75%, while the 28-day faster diagnosis standard was 78.9%, just below the 80% target. The board expressed ongoing concern but noted that work was underway to address the gaps.
The meeting also highlighted broader pressures on the healthcare system, including ambulance handover delays, with a separate report noting that ambulances lost 'thousands of hours' at hospitals in Dudley, Wolverhampton, and Sandwell.
