Torbay and South Devon’s cancer services rated highly by patients

People who have been treated for cancer at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust have rated their care and the service as among the best in the country for the third year in a row.

The results of the latest 2024 National Cancer Patient Experience Survey show that people’s experiences of using services at Torbay and South Devon were rated higher than the national average in all categories.

The survey, overseen by a national cancer patient advisory group, was commissioned and managed by NHS England, and involved 131 NHS trusts and had a national response rate of 50%.

299 people with a confirmed primary diagnosis of cancer, who received cancer- related treatment from Torbay and South Devon from April to June 2024 gave feedback on the care provided. This was a 59% response rate, which was higher than the national aver-age.

People were extremely positive about the care they received. Patients were asked to rate their overall care received, in which Torbay and South Devon scored 9.1/10. As well as being above the national average of 8.9, the organisation ranked 21 out of 131 organisations.

They also said they received the information about any diagnostic tests in advance (95%), while 89% of respondents said that diagnostic staff involved in their care had all their patient information before their tests, which ensured they didn’t have to keep repeating their story.

People spoke highly about the care they received from the teams supporting them, including knowing who the person involved in their care was (91%) and that they found their contact very helpful (96%).

In no areas did the services score below the expected score, however, services are al-ways seeking to improve and will be putting in place local action plans.

Alex Atkins, Cancer Services Manager at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust said: “I’m incredibly proud of the results from the latest national cancer patient experience survey. We understand how difficult and potentially life-changing a cancer diagnosis can be, and our team works with compassion and kindness to ensure all our patients are treated with dignity and respect while under our care and are kept informed of the treatment available to them and their progress at every stage.

“We work hard to improve our services and listening to our patients is important for us to continually ensure people have a good experience at Torbay and South Devon. This is the third year in a row where our results have consistently outperformed the national results, and this is something which everyone should feel proud of.”

The full report for Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust is available on the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey website.