Publish date: 29 September 2021
Cancer patients are being urged to help the NHS improve services by taking part in a wide-ranging survey looking at their quality of life.
More people are surviving cancer than ever before – but living with cancer and the effects of its treatment can have a negative impact on people’s physical, emotional and social wellbeing.
A Cancer Quality of Life Survey has been launched across the country to help the NHS understand what matters to people living with and beyond cancer.
All patients diagnosed with cancer in England are being invited to complete the survey around 18 months after their diagnosis.
The information collected from this survey will help to find out where services may or may not be working well and if any improvements should be made.
Data will be made available at a local level via the NHS and Public Health England CancerData Dashboard to ensure any decisions are based upon the experiences of local people.
Cheshire & Merseyside Cancer Alliance (CMCA) is urging cancer patients who qualify to take part in the survey.
Ellie Gunner-Taylor, CMCA Macmillan Quality Improvement Officer for Patient Experience and Health Inequalities, said: “It is really important that as many people in Cheshire and Merseyside as possible complete their survey so that the information collected fully represents our cancer population.
“In order to reduce health inequalities, we must ensure people with lived experience are involved and listened to. But people who encounter health inequalities are more likely to experience barriers such as receiving inappropriate or inaccessible information.
“That is why CMCA has developed resources promoting uptake of the Cancer Quality of Life Survey in accessible formats. Translated versions of the information leaflet are available in five commonly spoken languages in Cheshire and Merseyside. An easy read and BSL version have also been produced.
“We hope this will contribute to improving the quality of life of people living with and beyond cancer and in tackling health inequality in our region.”
Patients can also request the survey in another language or format (such as large print) by calling the freephone helpline: 0800 783 1775.
For more information about the survey and to take part, go to: https://www.cancerqol.england.nhs.uk//
CMCA has produced a toolkit for professionals to use to promote the survey. To access the translated versions of the leaflets, and for other promotional materials, see: https://cmcanceralliance.nhs.uk/work/patient-experience-and-health-inequalities/cancer-quality-life-survey
To see the CancerData Dashboard, see: https://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/dashboard#?tab=Overview