Cancer patients ‘receiving an improving standard of care’

A new report from the Department of Health has highlighted improvements in the standard of care received by cancer patients in the UK over the last year.

The second National Cancer Patient Experience Survey shows that 98 NHS trusts have improved their performance in terms of respecting patients, providing a choice of treatments and generally offering a better service.

Overall, 88 percent of patients rated their overall care as excellent or very good, with the majority stating that they were given clear answers to queries, seen quickly and treated with dignity.

National cancer director Professor Sir Mike Richards said: "The information from this survey is vital to driving improvements on the ground for patients. By seeing what areas they can improve upon, the local NHS can focus on the areas that matter most to patients."

Earlier this week, the Department of Health's National Quality Board published a report setting out how the NHS will be working to bring further improvements to care quality following the introduction of wide-ranging reforms under the Health and Social Care Act.