Nearly one in four cancer patients visit GP three times before hospital referral

By The Press Association7th June 2016News EnglandCancer, End Of Life Care, Hospitals, News England, NHS, Palliative Care

Almost one in four cancer patients need to see their GP at least three times before getting referred to hospital, a new survey suggests.

This means thousands of cancer sufferers are having to make repeated trips to their family doctor before being sent to see a specialist.

The National Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2015, which examined the experiences of more than 71,000 cancer patients, found that 24% of patients saw a family doctor about the health problem caused by cancer at least three times before being referred to hospital.

This includes 15% who said they saw their GP three or four times and 9% who said they saw their GP five or more times, according to the study conducted by Quality Health on behalf of NHS England.

However, the picture painted by the report is generally positive. When patients were asked to rate their care on a scale of zero (very poor) to 10 (very good), they gave an average rating of 8.7.

But the authors warned that the national experience of care is not consistent, with some levels of care rated more positively than others.

The authors wrote: “For example, patients appear to get more information on some areas (free prescriptions), than on others (benefits); information about chemotherapy/radiotherapy appears to be better before treatment, than during it; and care and support from health and social services at home appears to be less positively experienced than care received in hospital.”

Commenting on the survey, Dr Fran Woodard (pictured), executive director of policy and impact at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “While on the surface cancer patients are having a good overall experience of care, a closer look shows there are still concerns and some areas where there has been very little improvement.

“It is deeply worrying that more than half (54%) of cancer patients are failing to receive a care plan which sets out their treatment and could include information on potential side effects and where they can get vital support.

“It is also a concern that estimates suggest over 100,000 people may not be being told about the long-term side effects of their cancer treatment, and therefore may be unaware of debilitating side effects such as heart conditions or incontinence, and have no guidance on where to get support.

“The results suggest that there is still a one-size-fits-all approach to cancer care and a lack of personalised support, with a third of in-patients (33%) saying some staff didn’t ask them what they wanted to be called. It is vital that cancer patients have a good experience of care from the moment they experience symptoms, through treatment and for as long as they need afterwards.

“Everyone with cancer has different needs. Some may require support with long-term side effects, others with mental health issues or money worries.

“The Government must prioritise cancer care and the experience of patients to ensure the system is equipped to cope with the increasing numbers of people being diagnosed and living with the disease. This includes ensuring everyone receives personalised support through a care plan that is regularly updated as their needs change, so they are fully informed and can access the essential services they need.”

Professor Chris Harrison, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England, said: “A key ambition of the Cancer Taskforce was to put patient experience on an equal footing with other outcomes. To support improvements, the NHS has brought together all the data available, including data on people’s experiences, in one place to create a new integrated ‘dashboard’ for cancer.

“At a time when the NHS is treating more patients for cancer than ever before, the positive feedback from this survey is a testament to the hard work of NHS staff. However, it is clear that improvements still need to be made to ensure that everyone has the best possible experience of their treatment and care – which is why this is one of the key planks of work being led by the National Cancer Transformation Board.”