The Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust scored highest in England on a national survey of patients’ experiences with cancer careNorthumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
A leading North East hospital trust has been named the best in the country for cancer care by its own patients. The Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust – which runs hospitals across Northumberland and North Tyneside – has been rated highly by people who had cancer care during 2024 in a national survey.
The annual National Cancer Patient Experience Survey asks those to have had care for any form of the illness in 2024 to rate a range of aspects of their care – including their overall satisfaction – on a scale of 0 to 10. In total, the Northumbria Healthcare trust scored 9.36 on average from 466 responses.
The England average was 8.94 – meaning that all five of the North East’s NHS hospital trusts did better than their peers nationally. Elsewhere in the region, the County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust received an average score of 9.04 (from 532 responses), Gateshead Healthcare NHS Trust got 9.24 (from 413), South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust got 9.05 (from 866) and the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust 8.99 (from 1,204).
The Newcastle trust sees a higher number of patients than others due to the fact it takes a large number of specialist and highly complex cases.
At Northumbria, hospital bosses were thrilled with the news. They also highlighted areas including how 98% of patients said that enough privacy was given to them when receiving test results. This comes – as previously reported by ChronicleLive – at a hospital trust which is consistently among the best in the country when it comes to accident and emergency performance, too.
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Amanda Walshe, lead cancer nurse at the trust, said: “I’m beyond proud of my colleagues who have been recognised for their hard work in this way. The results of this survey show that patient care really is at the heart of everything we do to ensure we’re delivering excellence.
“It’s reassuring to see our performance scores have consistently improved over the years. This not only shows the dedication and resilience of our teams but also how we strive to continue to deliver the best we can.”
Marion Dickson, executive director of nursing said: “The results from this survey are recognition of just how hard our teams work to ensure we’re delivering the best we can for our patients. At Northumbria we really do put patients first and I’m proud this has been reflected in this set of results. I have no doubt this excellence will continue as we work hard to meet the needs of our patients.”
Looking ahead, the trust said a new Macmillan Information and Support Service had been established – and would be launched later this year – and this would be available to anyone affected by cancer.
In early 2025 a new Macmillan Information and Support Service was established and will be launched later this year with Northumbria Healthcare.
In Gateshead, hospital chiefs were similarly delighted. Gill Findley, chief nurse, said, “We’re proud to see such positive feedback in the 2024 Cancer Patient Experience Survey. These results reflect the outstanding commitment, compassion, and professionalism of our staff. I’d like to thank the entire team for their continued dedication to delivering high-quality care.
“It’s especially encouraging to know that patients felt supported throughout their cancer journey. By offering personalised care, including access to telephone clinics and dedicated cancer nurse specialists, we’re able to provide patients with the guidance and reassurance they need every step of the way.”
Explore the results of the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey here.
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