Publish date: 5 November 2021
A diagnosis of childhood cancer understandably has a devastating impact on the emotional health and wellbeing of the child and their family, both during and after treatment.
Children and young people's treatment and experience of cancer differs greatly from adults and the NHS recognises the need for a personalised approach to their cancer care.
It is important for healthcare organisations to listen and learn from children and young people in order to provide them with the best possible care and experience throughout treatment and to reduce the impact it has on them later in life.
In a UK first, NHS England launched a new survey to specifically learn from the experiences and views of children under the age of 16 in care and treatment for cancer.
The first set of results from the Under 16 Cancer Patient Experience Survey have shown us that 95% of children with cancer aged between eight and 15 felt they were looked after well by NHS healthcare staff during 2020 and 92% of parents/carers rated the overall experience of their child's care as 8 or more out of 10.
Other findings include:
• 79% of parents/carers said they were definitely told about their child’s cancer or tumour in a sensitive way.
• 89% of parents/carers felt that they and their child were always treated with respect and dignity by staff.
• 85% of parents/carers said that they always had confidence and trust in the staff treating their child.
• 66% of parents/carers said they definitely had access to reliable help and support 7 days a week from the hospital.
• 76% of parents/carers agreed that staff definitely offered them enough time to make decisions about their child's treatment.
• 82% of parents/carers of 0-7s and children aged 8-15 felt they were definitely able to have any questions they had answered.
A spokesperson for NHS England said: “It is encouraging to see that children and their parents rate the care and treatment they received positively and this survey is an opportunity to identify what’s working and what could be done better, engaging with patients, parents, NHS cancer staff and charities. The results will set a new benchmark allowing us to continuously monitor the impact of any changes made.
“The Under 16 Cancer Patient Experience Survey builds on the work of the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey, understanding that cancer care pathways and care priorities for children and young people often differ to adults.”
A webinar is being held on Thursday, December 2nd, to explore the feedback and experiences of young people and children affected by cancer. The expert panel will discuss the results of the survey, the lessons that have been learned, looking at the positive experiences patients are having that we can build on, where improvements can be made and how the insights can be used to change policy and practice. You can register for the webinar at www.events.england.nhs.uk/events/u16-cpes-webinar.
For more information and to view the full set of results, click here.