How to Get Involved
Patient Engagement and Involvement
Engagement with patients and the public is essential to ensure services are responsive to the needs of people affected by cancer throughout their cancer journey. Patients and the public have a unique perspective on how the NHS diagnoses and treats cancer and supports cancer patients after their treatment.
By sharing your experiences you can help us to shape future services and ensure they meet the needs of every patient and local population. We would also like to hear the views of cancer patient families and carers.
There are lots of different ways to get involved in the work of the Peninsula Cancer Alliance and our NHS provider trusts and commissioners. These are described below:
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.
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.
U16 Cancer Survey (under16cancerexperiencesurvey.co.uk)
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.
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:
https://healthwatchdevon.co.uk/
https://www.healthwatchcornwall.co.uk/
