26% of patients said the support they received from their GP during their cancer care at main NHS trust serving Barnet was not right reports Andrew Dowdeswell, Data Reporter

A medical professional with a gloved hand on the back of a patient wearing a hospital gown — Across England, the proportion of patients who said the support from their GP was not good enough was 22% – (Credit – Radar)

A quarter of cancer patients at the Royal Free London said they did not receive the right support from their GP practice during their care, new figures show.

Macmillan Cancer Support said everyone diagnosed with cancer “should be receiving support that’s right for their needs”.

Figures from NHS England’s cancer patient experience survey showed 26% of 411 patients who said the support they received from their GP during their cancer care at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust last year was not right.

Across England, the proportion of patients who said the support from their GP was not good enough was 22%.

The figures also showed the average rating of the 669 people who received cancer care at the Royal Free London and provided an overall score was 8.8 out of 10.

Nationally, the overall experience of cancer patients rose marginally to 8.9 out of 10 last year.

Meanwhile, transgender cancer patients endured worse experiences than cisgender patients, providing an average score of 8.3 compared with 8.9.

Black patients also said they suffered from poorer experiences than white people, while gay and lesbian, and bisexual patients also scored their care lower.

Sarah Ruane, director of advocacy at Macmillan Cancer Support said: “It’s unacceptable that some people from ethnically diverse backgrounds, the LGBTQ+ community, or with an additional long-term health condition are significantly more likely to report poorer overall experiences of cancer care.

“But it doesn’t have to be this way. Everyone diagnosed with cancer across the UK should be receiving support that’s right for their needs.”

Meanwhile, 78% of 307 patients said they had confidence and trust in every member of the team looking after them.

This was up slightly from 72% the year before, and similar to the average score across the country of 77%.

Cancer Research UK said people are waiting too long for a diagnosis and to begin treatment, despite the NHS treating more patients than ever before.

Director of evidence and implementation, Naser Turabi, said: “A dedicated long-term cancer strategy is desperately needed to bring cancer waiting times down in England.

“We urge the government to deliver investment and reform across NHS cancer services to ensure all patients receive the level of care they deserve.”

An NHS spokesperson said: “Patient experience of care is incredibly important to the NHS and this survey is vital in highlighting where we can improve services.

“It’s encouraging to see that, on average, patients rated their overall experience of care 8.89 out of ten compared to 8.88 last year – and that more than three quarters of those surveyed said they received the right amount of support from hospital staff.

“But we recognise that more work is needed to tackle the current challenges faced by cancer services and ensure all patients receive high-quality and timely care.”

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else. £84 annual supporters get a print copy by post and a digital copy of each month's before anyone else.