The National Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Audit (NNHLA) has published its second annual State of the Nation report 2025.
The audit analyses detailed data on the diagnosis and treatment of people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The findings are shared with individual cancer services, hospitals, and the NHS to guide continuous improvements.
The report is published in two versions. One is designed for healthcare providers, regulators, and professional associations and provides clear guidance and actionable recommendations based on the data. A State of the Nation Patient and Public Report 2025 is also available, summarising the findings on the quality of care and highlighting areas for improvement.
The report makes these key recommendations:
- Reducing emergency diagnoses: organisations need to review pathways for referral and diagnosis to make them quicker and smoother, to reduce the number of emergency diagnoses.
- Faster treatment by reviewing causes of delays in starting treatment at hospitals: making sure people with high-grade NHL start systemic anti-cancer therapy within 62 days of being referred, and reducing delays in starting radiotherapy after systemic anti-cancer therapy, when it is needed.
- Improve access to clinical trials: understanding why some people are not enrolled in trials and helping to improve access to trials.
- Better data: hospitals are being asked to improve their records, especially around diagnosis, treatment, and support.
Patients and patient charities are key to the audit's work, with Lymphoma Action playing a significant role. We continue to chair the steering group, the Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Forum is chaired by one of our volunteers, and during 2025 we have nominated another group of patient experts to join the PPI forum. We would like to thank these dedicated volunteers, who are doing fantastic work with the audit team.
The way the audit team have established the audit over the past two years has been incredibly impressive. We hope that our continued involvement helps the audit’s findings make a meaningful difference to those affected by non-Hodgkin lymphoma.