Review of Cancer support on GP websites and support available locally

This report is by Healthwatch Swindon. A review was undertaken by a Healthwatch Volunteer with lived experience of cancer asking five questions to understand what online support is offered via the GP surgeries locally.

Our Findings:

• All the websites are of a similar format and many of the websites appear not to have been fully updated for some time.
• Of the ones reviewed (see table on next page) only 3 listed the name of a cancer coordinator but this is a shared resource, the websites also do not explain what the role means for the patients.
• NHS Choices is often referred to for advice on conditions, but it is not specially about cancer.
• None of the website’s links to national support groups for example MacMillian
• All the Websites have well-being/ social prescriber listed but none of the information would indicate this was a port of call for cancer information.
• Only 2 of the websites reviewed had any obvious information on cancer listed, but this was very limited and not easy to find on the site. One of these had run a small local cancer information session last year but none of the information had been shared online to help sign post patients to local or national support services.

Our Recommendations

• Websites with limited resources regarding cancer should provide links to known national services (link to the main NHS cancer website) and link to the page on Healthwatch Swindon.
• Links to cancer information and cancer support should be easier to locate, and not hidden at the bottom of the website, or have multiple links to get to the cancer page.
• All websites should include information to cancer charities and cancer support groups, and again, made easy to locate.
• It is often that some websites only included specific cancer information (only bowel cancer), it may be suggested that websites should include cancer in general, or more than one form of cancer information, increasing the generalisability of the website.