Cancer patients from Torbay Hospital rated their care and experience highly in a recent national cancer patient survey.
Asked to rate their care on a scale of zero (very poor) to 10 (very good), respondents gave an average rating of 8.9 for services received in the Torbay area.
The national survey looked at all areas of cancer patient experience including care from their GP and hospital. The top ratings given by patients for local cancer services included the following:
· 99 per cent of respondents said that hospital staff told them who to contact if they were worried about their condition or treatment after they left hospital
· 92 per cent said that overall they were always treated with dignity and respect whilst they were in hospital
· 89 per cent said it had been ‘quite easy’ or ‘very easy’ to contact their Clinical Nurse Specialist
· 88 per cent said they were given the name of a Clinical Nurse Specialist who would support them through their treatment
· 88 per cent said they were definitely involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment
· 59 per cent of respondents said they thought the GPs and nurses at the general practice definitely did everything they could to support them while they were having cancer treatment
Rob Dyer, Medical Director at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are delighted with the local result from the national cancer patient survey. Our cancer services team work incredibly hard to ensure that people have the care and support they need before, during and after cancer treatment.
“Any cancer diagnosis is life changing for patients and their families, so it vital that they feel well cared for and supported during this time.
“The report does highlight some areas for improvement locally and we will look at ways in which we can address these, but overall patients in receipt of cancer services in Torbay have rated them very highly. This is a testament to our staff and the GP practices locally who work together to ensure high quality care and services for cancer patients.”
Dr Eileen Deakin, South Devon and Torbay Clinical Commissioning Group’s clinical lead for long-term conditions, said: “These survey results are excellent. The whole team should be very proud of the service they provide. The survey shows their effort is appreciated by the people who really matter – cancer patients and their families. We know the team will be looking at every question in detail, as they do every year, aiming for even greater satisfaction next time.”
The result of the national cancer patient survey will be used by Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, who run Torbay Hospital, and by South Devon and Torbay Clinical Commission Group (CCG) to benchmark the services and drive improvements locally.
Just over 200 cancer patients responded to the survey. The breakdown and full results can be found online at http://www.ncpes.co.uk
