28/07/2022 | Press releases

Patients’ praise for cancer care

Patients receiving cancer care at Colchester and Ipswich hospitals are told about their diagnosis sensitively, given easy to understand information about treatment and offered financial support and help with side effects, according to the results of a national survey.

The 2021 Cancer Patient Experience Survey gave 420 patients who are receiving care from East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) the chance to share their views on every part of their diagnosis and treatment. This included waiting times, communication and staff, as well as the support they received to manage side effects and live beyond cancer.

ESNEFT scored better than the national average in 13 key areas, with patients saying they:

  • felt the length of time waiting for diagnostic test results was about right
  • felt diagnostic test results were explained in a way they could completely understand
  • were told sensitively that they had cancer
  • were told about their diagnosis in an appropriate place
  • had a main point of contact within the care team
  • were offered information about how to get financial help or benefits
  • had enough understandable information about chemotherapy
  • had enough understandable information about progress with immunotherapy
  • felt the length of waiting time at clinic and day unit for cancer treatment was about right
  • were always able to discuss worries and fears with hospital staff while being treated as an outpatient or day case
  • were given information that they could access about support in dealing with immediate side effects from treatment

The Trust’s score was also higher than the national average for administration and rating of care. ESNEFT did not score below the national average in any area.

Morven Angus, Macmillan lead cancer nurse with ESNEFT, said: “We are delighted with these results, which show that our dedicated staff are providing our patients with high quality cancer care, as well as appropriate emotional support.

“We are particularly pleased to see significant improvements in our score for offering patients information on finance and benefits support, especially given the pressures which many people are currently experiencing as a result of the cost of living crisis. This is a direct result of the hard work of our clinical teams, who regularly talk to patients about the help which is available, as well as major improvements we have made to our website.

“We would like to say a huge thank you to all of our staff for their dedication to delivering the highest quality care to people with cancer. Starting treatment early can make a big difference to people’s outcomes, so we would also urge anyone who is experiencing any worrying symptoms to talk to their GP.”

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