Positive experiences reported by WUTH patients in Cancer Patient Survey

Patients reported positive experiences at Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust (WUTH), which runs Arrowe Park, Clatterbridge and the Wirral Women and Children’s Hospitals, according to the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey, published this week. The patients who took part in the survey gave an average rating of 9 out of 10 for the care they received at WUTH.

The survey, commissioned by NHS England and carried out by patient experience insight survey experts Picker, included people aged 16 years and over, with a confirmed primary diagnosis of cancer, who had been treated in hospital between April and June 2021. The questions covered the patient’s journey from their GP referral, through diagnostic tests, diagnosis, treatment and care in hospital, care at home; and living with and beyond cancer.

The 2021 survey involved 134 NHS Trusts with WUTH’s results show scores above the expected range for questions in the sections on ‘Finding out you have cancer’, ‘Hospital care’ and ‘Immediate and long-term side effects’. The Trust’s patients’ responses for all questions, were within the expected range, reflecting good experiences of care across the board.

Dr. Nikki Stevenson, Medical Director, Respiratory Consultant and Deputy CEO at WUTH said: “I am pleased to see that the hard work of our dedicated staff, during this challenging time, has been recognised by the patients that they care for.

“We have continued to investigate and treat patients with cancer throughout the pandemic. We are committed to continuous improvement in all aspects of patient care and the opening, in March 2022, of the Community Diagnostics Centre at Clatterbridge gives patients earlier access to scans and tests. This will help us to improve outcomes for our patients.”

WUTH has also recently launched its Patient Experience Strategy*  with strong patient and carer involvement and a commitment to continuous improvement at its heart.

The survey is an important part of the national NHS Cancer Programme, which places patient experience on a par with clinical effectiveness and safety as a key strategic priority. A total of 59,352 people responded to the survey, yielding a response rate of 55% There was a 60% response rate from WUTH patients, with 214 out of 365 completing the survey.

*https://www.wuth.nhs.uk/about-us/key-documents-and-information/wuth-strategy-2021-26/

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Notes to editor:

• Wirral University Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust is one of the largest and busiest acute NHS Trusts in the North West of England, serving a population of more than 320,000 and including the Wirral’s only Emergency Department at Arrowe Park Hospital. We provide a high quality range of acute care services and employ over 6,000 staff. We have approximately 855 beds trust-wide and our financial turnover is in excess of £337m. We run three hospitals at two sites – Arrowe Park, where the Wirral Women and Children’s Hospital is also located and Clatterbridge General Hospital.
• NCPES Website Homepage - National Cancer Patient Experience Survey (ncpes.co.uk)
• Picker is an international charity working across health and social care. Established in the UK in 2000, their work is at the forefront of understanding and furthering the link between patient experience, person centred care, and clinical excellence. The highest quality person centred care for all, always. - Picker