IMPERIAL College NHS Healthcare Trust has vowed to improve its communications with cancer patients after being exposed as the worst in the UK for the second year running.
Macmillan Cancer Support placed the trust, which runs Charing Cross, Hammersmith, St Mary’s and Paddington hospitals, at the bottom of a national league table it published last week.
The charity rated the trust on whether cancer sufferers had their diagnosis and treatment options explained clearly to them and if they felt they had been treated with respect and felt supported in their care.
A survey conducted between September and November last year, found 54 per cent of outpatients were seen early, or within 30 minutes of an appointment, compared to the national average of 70 per cent. About 60 per cent of those questioned said it was difficult to access their specialist nurse.
Prof Jane Maher, Macmillan’s chief medical officer, said: “Hospitals are having to hit targets on cleanliness and safety but not for how you treat a person. This needs to change. It is abolutely vital that patient experience is prioritised because it can make such a difference to recovery from gruelling cancer treatment.”
Imperial insists it is working with Macmillan Cancer Support, other cancer charities and patient groups to improve.
A spokeswoman said: “We acknowledge the experience of some of our cancer patients was below the standard we strive to deliver.
“We have introduced information prescriptions to ensure every patient receives the right amount of information at the right point in their pathway.
“We have reviewed the roles of clinical nurse specialists to guarantee they spend the optimum time possible on patient-facing activities, and assessed the nursing resource on our cancer wards to ensure appropriate staffing.”
Customer service training has begun for staff who work with cancer patients.
Hammersmith Hospital is opening a cancer information centre while a similar centre at Charing Cross Hospital has recently been upgraded.
