Almost a third of Doncaster patients unsure if their cancer treatment is working cancer treatment working

Almost a third of cancer patients receiving treatment in Doncaster say they do not feel they have been kept fully informed about whether their treatment is working.
Almost a third of cancer patients receiving treatment in Doncaster say they do not feel they have been kept fully informed about whether their treatment is working.Almost a third of cancer patients receiving treatment in Doncaster say they do not feel they have been kept fully informed about whether their treatment is working.
Almost a third of cancer patients receiving treatment in Doncaster say they do not feel they have been kept fully informed about whether their treatment is working.

Patients aged 16 and over, who underwent cancer-related treatment with Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust between April and June 2017, were asked about their care as part of this year's National Cancer Patient Experience Survey.

The results raised concerns about the level of information provided while patients were having treatment.

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When asked if they had been given enough information in terms they could understand about how their radiotherapy or chemotherapy was going 69 per cent of patients at the Trust answered 'yes, completely'

The rest answered 'yes, to some extent' or 'no', which were both counted as negative responses.

The survey, which is carried out annually by Quality Health on behalf of NHS England, monitors patients' impressions of their diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare.

Patients gave a rating of 8.68 for their overall care, an improvement on the previous year.

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Dr Jeanette Dickson, who is the vice president of clinical oncology at The Royal College of Radiologists, said cancer specialists worked in high-pressure environments, and that giving ongoing updates to patients during their treatment could be very complicated.

She continued: "Many cancer treatments are not straightforward and response to therapy is not immediately able to be assessed as patients would wish.'