Support rates highly for Plymouth patients in Cancer Patient Experience Survey

When asked to rate their care on a scale of zero (very poor) to 10 (very good), our cancer patients, treated at Derriford Hospital, gave us an average rating of 8.7, according to the latest National Cancer Patient Experience Survey.

The annual survey asks patients with cancer, treated at all hospitals across the country, about their care. More than 900 patients treated at Derriford Hospital responded to the survey and gave feedback.

Of particular note, and where the hospital was rated above the national average, was for the support and advice given to patients. 87% of patients said they were told they could bring a family member when they were first told they had cancer, 89% reported that they were told about support groups available to them and 85% of patients said they were given information about the impact cancer could have on their day-to-day activities.

In addition, the hospital also made significant improvements in the score for provision of easy to understand written information about the type of cancer the patient had and the Cancer Nurse Specialists (CNS) continue to be rated highly with 92% of patients given the name of their CNS. 90% of patients got understandable answers to important questions all, or most, of the time.

Overall, the hospital has performed better than the previous year, improving in 27 hospital-related questions out of 50 in this recent survey, compared to 17 in 2015.

“These improvements reflect the hard work and dedication of the staff here, to improve the care for our patients and the experience they and their loved ones have when they are with us,” explains Sian Dennison, Head of Nursing for Cancer/End of Life and Trust Cancer Service Manager. “However, we recognise there is still lots of work for us to do to make things even better. We are constantly listening to and learning from the people we care for with cancer.”

The survey has been designed to monitor national progress on cancer care; to provide information to drive local quality improvements; to assist commissioners and providers of cancer care; and to inform the work of the various charities and stakeholder groups supporting cancer patients. This survey was commissioned and managed by NHS England and is overseen by the Cancer Patient Experience Advisory Group. You can find the full survey results here.