A new survey showing that 95 percent of cancer patients have a positive view of the care they received has been praised an example of how hard-working and caring NHS staff are.
The results of the 2024 Cancer Patient Experience Survey – commissioned by the Scottish Government and Macmillan Cancer Support in partnership with Public Health Scotland (PHS), show that cancer patients across Scotland are largely positive about their care.
They rated their overall experience of cancer care at 9.1 out of 10, with 95% being delighted with their treatment.
The results have left Gordon McLean, strategic partneship manager at Macmillan, with the view that the compassion and quality of care being provided by NHS staff is brilliant, but admitted that more needs to be done elsewhere – particularly in dealing with the financial anxiety and struggles that patients have to deal with.
He said: “These results testify to the compassion and quality of care being offered to people with cancer by hard working NHS staff, but they also highlight where improvements are needed.
“Cancer can disrupt every part of a person’s life – from personal finances to people’s mental and emotional wellbeing - and everyone diagnosed with cancer in Scotland should be receiving care and support that is right for their personal needs.
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“More needs to be done to ensure people receive a written care plan to help manage both their clinical and wider needs. Far too many people did not receive financial information, even though cancer can cause huge financial anxiety, and impact by more than £1000 a month on average. Such gaps in meeting the wider needs of people with cancer must be addressed.
“Much is already being done, but it is vital these results are now harnessed by everyone working to deliver cancer care in Scotland, so people can get the personalised information, care and support they need, at the time when they need it the most.”
There was areas where people’s views had dropped slightly, with 86% of respondents saying they were treated with dignity and respect always or most of the time, down from 97% in 2018.
It was again a drop for the percentage of people who felt they had been told the news they had cancer ‘sensitively’, down from 86% in 2018 to 84% this year.
An ongoing partnership between Macmillan and the Scottish Government on the roll out of the ‘Improving the Cancer Journey’ (ICJ) model across Scotland has also been put in place to help people access support for the wide range of non-clinical issues that can arise from a cancer diagnosis.
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Neil Gray, said: "I am pleased that the experience of cancer care in Scotland is so highly rated as positive. When we published our Cancer Strategy and the associated Cancer Action Plan in 2023, we set out our aim of improved cancer survival and the provision of excellent, equitably accessible care.
"The fact that 95% of people are positive about their overall experience indicates that we are progressing towards our aim, and towards our ambition of putting people with cancer at the heart of all decisions and actions involving them.
Neil Gray (Image: PA)
“We are committed to further improvements in cancer care, which is why we are continuing to invest in initiatives that support earlier and faster diagnosis and drive person-centred and holistic care. We will continue to work with Macmillan, other third sector partners, and Health Boards to determine any new actions required to further improve the experience of people diagnosed with cancer."
Kay, from Lanarkshire, was diagnosed with breast cancer more than a decade ago and now volunteers with her local Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service and admits it was terrifying to get the diagnosis but remains delighted with the care that is given.
She said: “I have never forgotten how terrifying my own cancer diagnosis was, or how desperately I needed to understand it – but it was a whirlwind, and I was already halfway through radiotherapy before I even understood my own diagnosis.
“Detailed care planning is so vitally important. It can help people to feel more in control of their cancer diagnosis and treatment, and by signposting people to wider support it can help them manage the whole host of non-clinical issues, like their financial and emotional wellbeing, before things reach a crisis point.
“We see it every week in the hubs we run in local libraries, where we are on hand to give people booklets and refer them on to local support services - cancer touches every part of a person’s life and it can throw lives into chaos. Getting the right information makes a real difference.
“As someone who has gone through cancer, I can say to the people I meet through my volunteering that ‘I know, I remember’ and that does people a power of good. That, alongside us being there to signpost people to the wider support that is available, goes such a long way in giving people the sense of ‘being looked after’ that so many desperately need.”
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