Surgery is usually the main treatment for breast cancer. Depending on the size of the cancer and whether it has spread, you may have only the cancer removed (breast-conserving surgery) or the whole breast removed (mastectomy). Other treatments include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy and targeted medicines.
The National Audit of Primary Breast Cancer publishes results for each NHS trust. One measure is how often women need a further operation after breast-conserving surgery, for example because some cancer cells were found at the edge of the tissue removed.
Hospitals in the East of England
12 trusts in the East of England with published figures. Sorted by name. This is not a ranking: read how to read this first.
| Trust | Volume bandWomen having breast cancer surgery, 2021 to 2023 (NAoPri) | Key outcomeFurther operation after breast-conserving surgery (adjusted) | Waiting timeWhole trust | Patient experience | CQC rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Bedford Hospital, Luton and Dunstable Hospital | 1,000 to 1,4991,120 women who had surgery for early breast cancer, 2021 to 2023 (3 years) | 23.8%National: 16.2% (unadjusted)No banding publishedMore measures
| 52.1%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 69.6%), June to August 2026, provisional | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.1 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Bedford Hospital: No Approved Rating (CQC report for Bedford Hospital) Luton and Dunstable Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Luton and Dunstable Hospital) |
| Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie Hospitals, Princess of Wales Hospital | 1,000 to 1,4991,294 women who had surgery for early breast cancer, 2021 to 2023 (3 years) | 13.2%National: 16.2% (unadjusted)No banding publishedMore measures
| 78.8%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 69.6%), June to August 2026, provisional | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.1 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Good (CQC report for Addenbrooke's and the Rosie Hospitals) |
| East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Hertford County Hospital, Lister Hospital, Queen Elizabeth II Hospital | 1,000 to 1,4991,001 women who had surgery for early breast cancer, 2021 to 2023 (3 years) | 15.1%National: 16.2% (unadjusted)No banding publishedMore measures
| 85.6%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 69.6%), June to August 2026, provisional | Somewhat worse than expectedInpatients rated their overall experience 7.8 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Hertford County Hospital: Good (CQC report for Hertford County Hospital) Lister Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Lister Hospital) Queen Elizabeth II Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Queen Elizabeth II Hospital) |
| East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Colchester General Hospital, The Ipswich Hospital | 1,500 or more1,687 women who had surgery for early breast cancer, 2021 to 2023 (3 years) | 11.2%National: 16.2% (unadjusted)No banding publishedMore measures
| 88.8%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 69.6%), June to August 2026, provisional | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 7.9 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Colchester General Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Colchester General Hospital) The Ipswich Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for The Ipswich Hospital) |
| James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: James Paget Hospital | Fewer than 600521 women who had surgery for early breast cancer, 2021 to 2023 (3 years) | 20.0%National: 16.2% (unadjusted)No banding publishedMore measures
| 79.7%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 69.6%), June to August 2026, provisional | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.3 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Good (CQC report for James Paget Hospital) |
| Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Basildon University Hospital, Broomfield Hospital, Orsett Hospital, Southend University Hospital, St Peter’s Hospital | 1,500 or more2,398 women who had surgery for early breast cancer, 2021 to 2023 (3 years) | 11.5%National: 16.2% (unadjusted)No banding publishedMore measures
| 46%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 69.6%), June to August 2026, provisional | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 7.9 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Basildon University Hospital: Inadequate (CQC report for Basildon University Hospital) Broomfield Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Broomfield Hospital) Southend University Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Southend University Hospital) |
| Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital | 1,500 or more1,558 women who had surgery for early breast cancer, 2021 to 2023 (3 years) | 10.8%National: 16.2% (unadjusted)No banding publishedMore measures
| 87.6%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 69.6%), June to August 2026, provisional | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.2 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital) |
| North West Anglia NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Peterborough City Hospital | 600 to 999892 women who had surgery for early breast cancer, 2021 to 2023 (3 years) | 20.7%National: 16.2% (unadjusted)No banding publishedMore measures
| 69.6%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 69.6%), June to August 2026, provisional | Somewhat worse than expectedInpatients rated their overall experience 7.8 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Hinchingbrooke Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Hinchingbrooke Hospital) Peterborough City Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Peterborough City Hospital) |
| The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: The Princess Alexandra Hospital | 600 to 999616 women who had surgery for early breast cancer, 2021 to 2023 (3 years) | 14.1%National: 16.2% (unadjusted)No banding publishedMore measures
| 80.6%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 69.6%), June to August 2026, provisional | Worse than expectedInpatients rated their overall experience 7.7 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for The Princess Alexandra Hospital) |
| The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: The Queen Elizabeth Hospital | Fewer than 600502 women who had surgery for early breast cancer, 2021 to 2023 (3 years) | 15.5%National: 16.2% (unadjusted)No banding publishedMore measures
| 97.2%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 69.6%), June to August 2026, provisional | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 7.8 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for The Queen Elizabeth Hospital) |
| West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Hemel Hempstead General Hospital, St Albans City Hospital, Watford General Hospital | 600 to 999936 women who had surgery for early breast cancer, 2021 to 2023 (3 years) | 14.4%National: 16.2% (unadjusted)No banding publishedMore measures
| 94.5%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 69.6%), June to August 2026, provisional | Somewhat worse than expectedInpatients rated their overall experience 7.8 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Hemel Hempstead General Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Hemel Hempstead General Hospital) St Albans City Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for St Albans City Hospital) Watford General Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Watford General Hospital) |
| West Suffolk NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Newmarket Hospital, West Suffolk Hospital | 600 to 999648 women who had surgery for early breast cancer, 2021 to 2023 (3 years) | 17.1%National: 16.2% (unadjusted)No banding publishedMore measures
| 67.2%started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or screening (standard 85%; England 69.6%), June to August 2026, provisional | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.1 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Newmarket Hospital: Good (CQC report for Newmarket Hospital) West Suffolk Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for West Suffolk Hospital) |
How to read this
- Not a ranking. The table is in alphabetical order. A higher volume does not on its own mean better care, and we do not combine the columns into a score.
- Volume bands. Cut points are the lower quartile, median and upper quartile of all 115 NHS trusts in the NAoPri table in the published table, rounded. So about a quarter of NHS trusts in the NAoPri table fall in each band. The exact number is shown under the band.
- Risk adjustment. Where a figure says “adjusted”, the audit has allowed for differences in the patients each hospital treats, such as age and other illnesses. Hospitals that take on more complex cases can still look different for reasons the adjustment does not capture.
- Bands and limits. We only say a result is higher or lower than expected when the source itself says so (for example NJR outlier status, NELA funnel limits, SSNAP levels, CQC survey bands). Where the source publishes a rate without limits we show the rate and the national figure, and say “No banding published”.
- Small numbers. A small hospital can have 0% or a high percentage by chance. Figures the source suppresses are shown as “Not published (small numbers)”.
- Trust or hospital. This audit publishes figures for each NHS trust, which may run several hospitals. The operation may only be done at one of them.
- Different periods. Each figure has its own period, shown next to it. Audit results describe operations done one to three years ago; waiting times are updated monthly.
- National figures. National figures are England (unadjusted), from the NAoPri data tables.
- Talk to your GP or consultant about what the figures mean for you. If you are referred for planned care in England, you can usually choose your hospital.
Full definitions: methodology and data dictionary.
Data sources and licences
- National Audit of Primary Breast Cancer (NAoPri) State of the Nation 2026 data tables, NATCAN for HQIP. Source: National Audit of Primary Breast Cancer (NAoPri), NATCAN / HQIP, 2026, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
- Cancer Waiting Times (provider extract), NHS England. Source: NHS England, Cancer Waiting Times. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
- CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025 (trust benchmark results), Care Quality Commission. Source: Care Quality Commission, NHS Patient Survey Programme, Adult Inpatient Survey 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
- CQC ratings, Care Quality Commission. CQC ratings: Care Quality Commission. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
- Healthcare-associated infections: annual counts and rates by trust (financial year 2025 to 2026), UK Health Security Agency. Source: UK Health Security Agency, healthcare-associated infection annual data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
Data last updated 26 October 2026. We do not change the published figures; we only group volumes into bands. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Sources
We checked this guide against these official pages on 26 October 2026.
- Treatment for breast cancer in women (NHS website)
- National Audit of Primary Breast Cancer (NATCAN)
- Cancer Waiting Times (NHS England)
- Adult inpatient survey (Care Quality Commission)
Spotted something out of date? Tell us.