News from our partners: Patients praise Trust staff for cancer care

News from our partners Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH)

Patients with cancer have rated their treatment at Shropshire’s acute hospitals as ‘very good’, highlighting the dignity and respect they received.

In the 2018 National Cancer Patient Experience Survey, patients gave their treatment at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) an average rating of almost 9 out of 10.

The Trust, which runs the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital, Telford, scored significantly higher than the national average in patients being told they could bring a family member or friend with them when they were first told they had cancer (84% compared with a national average of 78%).

SaTH also scored highly on patients being told who they could contact if they had any concerns after they had been discharged. The Trust scored 96%, a significant increase on last year’s result (93%) and above the national average (94%).

Other areas where the Trust scored highly were patients receiving all the information they needed about tests (94%); patients given the name of a Cancer Nurse Specialist (CNS) who would support them through their treatment (91%); patients having all the information they needed before any operation (95%); doctors having the right notes and other documentation with them (96%) and GPs being given enough information about a patient’s condition and treatment (95%).

The survey also found that 85% of patients felt they were informed that they had cancer in a sensitive way (in line with the national average) and 89% of patients were always treated with respect and dignity by staff.

There were three areas where SaTH scored statistically significantly below the national average: patients found it easy to contact their CNS; patients had all the information they needed before radiotherapy treatment; and patients were given understandable information about whether radiotherapy was working. In two of these areas, SaTH scored 80% or more.

Jessica Greenwood, Lead Cancer Nurse at SaTH, said:

“It is extremely gratifying that so many of our patients think highly of the services we provide. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all of our teams, even at our busiest times.

“Of course, we recognise there are areas where we need to do better and we will continue to focus on the whole patient journey to make improvements across the board for the sake of our patients and their families.”