A RECENT survey of patients receiving cancer treatment in Hampshire have given a thumbs up to the service.

Patients being treated at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust facilities rated their care at 8.9 out of 10 in the recently-published National Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2017.

The Trust, which runs Basingstoke hospital, Andover War Memorial Hospital and Royal Hampshire County Hospital, in Winchester, scored well above the national average in six questions.

More than 92 per cent of patients said that they got understandable answers to important questions, while 91 per cent found it easy to contact their clinical nurse specialist.

The Trust also finished above the national average when it came to having enough nurses on duty, discussing worries and fears with patients, working with community staff and giving loved ones the information required to care for patients at home.

In addition, 95 per cent of patients at the Trust reported that they were told who to contact if they were worried about their condition or treatment after they left hospital, while the 95 per cent of patients also said that they received all of the information they needed before they went for tests or operations.

Alex Whitfield, chief executive of Hampshire Hospitals, said: “It is really good to hear that the dedication and teamwork shown by staff in a number of different areas is paying off and that our cancer patients rate the care we provide to them so highly.

“It’s especially pleasing to see that our patients are kept so informed throughout their treatment and that they know who to contact if they have any concerns.

“We are always striving to improve and will use the survey results alongside other feedback to look at how we can make things even better for our patients.”

The National Cancer Patient Experience Survey was commissioned and managed by NHS England in partnership with Quality Health.

A total of 670 patients receiving either inpatient or day cancer services at one of the three hospitals run by the Trust during the summer of 2017 took part in the survey, which was made up of 59 questions.