Scottish Government
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Cancer patients get say on care
First national patient experience survey issued.
Cancer patients are getting the chance to give their views on the care they are receiving through the first national cancer patient experience survey.
The survey, which is jointly funded by Macmillan Cancer Support, has now been sent out to all patients who have had a confirmed cancer diagnosis between July 2013 and March 2014 and who have also stayed in hospital between January 2014 and September 2014.
The survey will ask patients questions such as how they felt about the way they were told about their diagnosis, whether they understood the information provided about their treatment, and whether they had confidence and trust in the staff treating them. The results will help to shape the future direction of cancer care in Scotland.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said:
“It is vital that we listen to patients in order to fully understand their experiences and learn more about the standard of services they receive. This is an essential aspect to driving up quality of care.
“Dealing with a cancer diagnoses can be both difficult and scary. This survey will provide further insights into the care experienced by patients with cancer across Scotland and allow our NHS to ensure its services focus on what matter most to patients.
“The survey is part of our wider commitment to giving patients a stronger voice within the NHS and I urge patients receiving the questionnaire to fill it in.”
Janice Preston, General Manager for Macmillan Cancer Support in Scotland, said:
“Macmillan is delighted that the Scottish Government has launched a cancer patient experience survey in Scotland.
“It is the first time such a comprehensive survey of cancer patients’ experiences of care has been conducted in Scotland and Macmillan is delighted to be a partner in this hugely significant initiative. It is vitally important to measure survival rates and cancer waiting times targets, but it is equally important to find out what patients really think about the quality of the care they receive.
“We hope local health boards take the survey’s results into consideration to inform planning for future cancer services to make sure these services meet people’s clinical and non-clinical needs and that they are truly person-centred. Cancer treatment goes beyond surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. We need people-centred care, not just symptom-focussed treatment.”
Notes To Editors
The findings of the survey will be publically reported at both national and health board level in summer 2016.
The results of the survey will help to shape the future direction of cancer care in Scotland.
