Exploring Differences in Cancer Patient Experiences

Scotland’s Chief Statistician today released additional analysis on the responses to the Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2015/16. This secondary analysis examines the relationship between the self-reported experiences of service users and a range of factors.

The report shows that:

• Having an easy to contact Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) has a significantly positive relationship with an individual’s experience of cancer care.
• There is a significantly positive relationship between knowing you have a care plan and having a positive experience of cancer care.
• A person’s experience of cancer care may be more negative if their cancer has remained or spread following treatment.
• The type of tumour a person has will affect their experience of cancer care.

Background

The full statistical publication is available at www.gov.scot/stats/bulletins/01290.

The Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey covers all aspects of the cancer care journey, from thinking that something might be wrong, through to the support received after acute care and treatment. National results revealed that the vast majority of people – 94 per cent – had a positive experience of cancer care overall. They also highlighted some areas of care with less positive experiences which require service improvement. This additional analysis will help our understanding of the differences in cancer care experiences between different groups of patients and will assist in identifying where to target future improvements.

More information on the survey, including all published results, can be found at www.gov.scot/CancerSurvey.

Official statistics are produced by professionally independent statistical staff – more information on the standards of official statistics in Scotland can be accessed at www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/About