Information for Public

When we talk about ‘health inequalities’ in a cancer sense, the term refers to numerous different sets of challenges that people have in terms of accessing cancer services. This could impact on how early they seek treatment and how involved in their treatment decisions they are. The Peninsula Cancer Alliance recognises that health inequalities exist within the South West region as they do in every region of the UK. It will ensure that when it involves patients in designing services, all types of patients will have the opportunity to have their view represented.

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National Cancer Patient Experience Survey

Our hospitals undertake this survey on an annual basis. They take great notice of the feedback they get from the survey.
For more information on the survey and past survey reports, please click here.

Under 16s with Cancer

Independent research conducted with children and young people with cancer, their parents/carers, and health, social care and other professionals working with children and young people with cancer as well as key national stakeholders, including children’s cancer charities identified a strong preference for a national survey to be developed. In Summer 2020, the NHS will be launching a National Cancer Patient Experience Survey for Under 16s with Cancer.

Complaints and Comments

The service treating you will have a process in place for dealing with complaints and receiving comments about the standard of care you are receiving or have received. These processes tell the service treating you or your loved one what it is doing well and where it could and should do better.

Tumour site-specific groups

On each group, there is a patient representative whose job it is to feed into discussions about changes to services, the patient perspective. The current role description can be found here.

If you are interested in becoming a patient representative on a site-specific group, please speak to your Cancer Nurse Specialist who will know if there are any positions vacant and be able to support you in the expression of interest process.

Specific Patient Involvement Opportunities

Patient representatives are currently working with us to improve services in the following areas:

  • Introduction of a Rapid Diagnostic Service – please click here for more information
  • Review of Colorectal Cancer pathway - please click here for more information
  • Review of the Oesophageal Gastric pathway - please click here for more information

Healthwatch

There is a local Healthwatch in every area of England. Healthwatch organisations exist to find out what people like about services, and what could be improved, and share those views with the NHS to make change happen. Healthwatch organisations can also help people to find the information they need about services in their area. There are two Healthwatch organisations in the South West. These are:

  • Healthwatch Cornwall (based in Truro)
  • Healthwatch Devon (based in Exeter)