Figures published by NHS England show 90% of patients accessing cancer services at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust rated their experience as excellent or good.

Early diagnosis can be critical in treating many cancers and patients are now being referred more quickly once a problem is highlighted with their GP, with 78% of patients with suspected cancers being referred to Sherwood Forest Hospitals after only a first or second GP visit – compared to 68% last year.

Nearly three quarters of patients (73%) felt fully involved in decisions about their treatment and care. Overall, patients also felt that hospital and community staff worked well together and 93% were happy with the level of information the hospital shared with their GP about their condition.

Susan Bowler, Executive Director of Nursing and Quality at Sherwood Forest Hospitals said: “Patient experience is always a priority for us, but in the case of a cancer diagnosis, we understand the heightened worry and anxiety people will feel when having to deal with such difficult news.

“It is important for an individual to feel involved and understand the journey they are going on with a good knowledge about what is wrong with them, the treatments they can expect, how to get free prescriptions and access support groups. Our patients are given written information about their cancer, the operation they are to have, any side effects of the treatment and the impact cancer could have on their current lifestyle.

“The more information and support we can provide, the better understanding a patient will have about the treatment they will have to go through. I am pleased this has been reflected in what patients are telling us about their experience when accessing cancer services at our Trust.

“There are further improvements we can make, and our cancer leads will be reviewing the results of this year’s survey to identify what else we can do to support cancer patients accessing our services. We are particularly keen to see an improvement in the number of patients participating in cancer research, as it is widely recognised the real key to improving outcomes is having a fuller understanding of the disease itself.”