Cancer services in Derbyshire

Healthwatch Derbyshire spoke to 102 patients, relatives, friends and carers between January and March 2015 to understand experiences of cancer services across the county. Overall, many participants described positive experiences of care, particularly around prompt diagnosis, supportive nursing staff, good communication between services and high standards of treatment. However, experiences varied considerably, with some patients reporting delays in diagnosis, referral and treatment. 

Communication emerged as a key theme. While many participants felt informed and involved in decisions about their care, others reported receiving insensitive diagnoses, inconsistent information from different professionals and poor communication between services. Some patients felt they received insufficient information about support services, benefits advice, support groups or help available to carers and family members. Participants also highlighted challenges for people with specific needs, including those affected by cancer during pregnancy and people living with laryngectomies. 

Patients were generally very positive about clinical nurse specialists, Macmillan support and hospice services, with hospices receiving overwhelmingly favourable feedback. Transport and parking were recurring concerns, particularly for people travelling to specialist centres such as Weston Park Hospital. Long journeys, parking difficulties and the time involved in attending appointments added stress for some patients and their families. 

Healthwatch concluded that cancer services were generally delivering high-quality care but identified opportunities for improvement. Recommendations included providing clearer information and signposting throughout the cancer journey, improving communication when delivering diagnoses, increasing awareness of support available for patients and carers, addressing the specific needs of people with less common cancer experiences, improving travel and parking arrangements where possible, and promoting the full range of support available through hospice services.