Kate Seymour, Head of External Affairs at Macmillan Cancer Support says:
“While it’s encouraging to see some improvements in people’s experience of cancer care in England, today’s figures also show too many people are still not getting the high-quality cancer care they need and deserve. It’s not acceptable that people from ethnically diverse backgrounds, people who are LGBTQ+, or those living with additional long-term health conditions are still facing disparities in how they are diagnosed, treated, and supported. Everyone diagnosed with cancer deserves high-quality care that meets their individual needs, regardless of who they are or where they live.
“To deliver high-quality care, the NHS needs high-quality data. The National Cancer Patient Experience Survey is one of the best sources of insight we have into the quality of people’s care, helping us understand where variation exists and where improvements are needed. It’s vital that people with cancer can continue to share their experiences in this way — and the UK government’s upcoming National Cancer Plan for England is a crucial opportunity to ensure patient experience and equity are placed at the heart of every decision.”
Key facts
- The 2024 National Cancer Patient Experience Survey for England shows that only half of people having cancer treatment (50%) are supported with a care plan to meet their needs or concerns, a figure unchanged from the previous year (50%)[i]
- More than one in four people who have an overnight stay in hospital as part of their cancer care in England (28%) are not always involved in decisions about their treatment or care while they are in hospital[ii]
- One in four people having cancer treatment in England (25%) said their families or other people close to them were not given all the information they needed to help care for them at home[iii]
- The 2024 survey also shows that some groups of people with cancer in England are still statistically significantly more likely to report a poorer experience of NHS care than others, particularly people who are from an ethnically diverse background, people who are LGBTQ+, and people who have another long-term health condition as well as cancer. For example, Black and Asian people with cancer in England who are diagnosed with cancer after seeking help with symptoms are substantially more likely to have to speak to a primary care professional three or more times before being diagnosed when compared with the national average (26% and 27%, respectively, compared with 17%)[iv]
- The latest survey also shows that only around two in three patients who are lesbian, gay or bisexual (65%) get enough support with their overall needs while at hospital, lower than the national average of three in four patients (76%)[v]. Previous research has shown this is one of the top three most important aspects of people’s care that contribute to a good overall experience[vi]
References
[ii] As per ref 1. Refers to Q33: Did you feel you were involved in decisions about your care and treatment while you were in hospital? This question is only asked to people who had had an overnight stay in an NHS hospital within the previous 12 months. Out of the 27,112 people who had had an overnight stay, 6,045 answered ‘Yes, sometimes’ and 1,466 answered ‘No’
[iii] As per ref 1. Refers to question 49: ‘Did the team looking after you give your family, or someone close to you, the information they needed to help care for you at home?’ Out of 64,055 total responses to the survey, 8,451 answered ‘No’ to this question, and 7,718 answered ‘Yes, they were given some of the information they needed’. A further 27,600 people answered ‘Yes, they were given all the information they needed’
[iv] As per ref 1. Refers to question 2: Before you were diagnosed, how many times did you speak to a healthcare professional at your GP practice about health problems caused by cancer? This question is only asked to people who had contacted their GP practice because they thought something might be wrong. For Black people with cancer, there were 642 responses to this question, of who 167 selected either ‘Three or four times’ or ‘Five or more times’. For Asian people with cancer, there were 1,128 responses to this question, of who 305 selected those answer options. At a national level, there were 37,202 responses to this question, of who 6,490 selected those answer options.
[v] As per ref 1. Refers to question 28: Do you feel you got the right amount of support with your overall health and well being from hospital staff? Out of 64,055 total responses to the survey, 48,677 people answered ‘Yes, definitely’, which equates to 76%. Among the 774 responses from people who gave their sexual orientation as gay or lesbian, or bisexual, 504 people answered ‘Yes, definitely’ — this gives a weighted average of 65%. The results showed a statistically significant difference in this question for people who are LGB; the response for people who are trans was also lower than the national average but to a lesser degree and the difference was not statistically significant
[vi] Picker/NHS England. England National Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2022. Key driver analysis for a high rating of care. May 2024 https://www.ncpes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/CPES22_Key-Drivers_final-27032024.pdf. The top three key drivers are:
Q57. Administration of care was ‘very good’ or ‘good’
Q28. Patient definitely got the right level of support for their overall health and well being from hospital staff
Q56. The whole care team worked well together