New national audit results show that Stepping Hill Hospital is among the safest places in the country for bowel cancer surgery.

The new results from National Bowel Cancer Audit (NBOCA) State of the Nation report reveal a 93% survival rate for patients undergoing bowel cancer, compared to the national average of 84%.

That’s the best rate in the North of England, and the second best throughout England and Wales.

Bowel cancer is the 4th most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 11% of all new cancer cases. Over 42,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year, or around 120 people every day.

Around 200 patients undergo bowel cancer surgery at Stepping Hill Hospital every year, with cases similar to other hospitals in terms of risk and complexity.

The hospital has a specialist bowel cancer team which includes surgeons, oncologists, cancer nurses and stoma therapists, as well as state-of–the-art critical care facilities. This ensures each patient has the highest quality advice, support and care throughout their time with the hospital.

The bowel survival rates within the NBOCA Audit include all those who have survived for at least two years following the surgery.

The results reflect strong teamwork between all staff within Stockport NHS Foundation Trust who provide care for bowel cancer patients, combining good rates of early diagnosis, the surgery itself, and also follow-up long term care.

Qasim Humayun, Consultant Surgeon at Stockport said “The whole Stockport NHS Foundation Trust Colorectal Cancer Team has worked really hard to achieve a 10% better than average survival for our patients in comparison to the whole of England and Wales, and we’re all really delighted to see the results.  This audit shows that the people of Stockport and the High Peak can have confidence in the surgical care we provide.”