The nine English NHS trusts receiving the worst feedback from cancer patients in the past year were in London, a charity has said.
Macmillan Cancer Support analysed a nationwide survey of 68,000 people and found care standards fell “lamentably short” in some capital hospitals.
Patients were asked about issues such as whether they felt well supported, informed and were treated with respect.
NHS England said the findings were “disappointing” but were being tackled.
Caroline Alexander, the chief nurse for London, said: “We do well in treating the illness.
“But often we fall short in caring for the individual and giving patients and their families the support that they need.”
The 10 ‘worst performing’ trusts
1) Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
2) Barts Health NHS Trust
3) Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
4) Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospital NHS Trust
5) King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
6) North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust
7) St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust
8) Whittington Health
9) North West London Hospitals NHS Trust
10) Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust (West Midlands)
Source: Macmillan
Patients ‘let down’
Organisations were ranked according to the number of times they appeared in the lowest 20% of the results for 63 questions, the charity said.
The three best-performing trusts in England were in Gateshead in north-east England, East Cheshire and South Tyneside.
“It is unacceptable that some cancer patients in London are being let down by hospitals failing to provide crucial support, alongside medical treatment,” Carol Fenton from Macmillan said.
She called for a “pan-London effort” to tackle the issue.
However, Ms Alexander said the NHS was already teaming up cancer doctors and nurses across London to increase standards of care.
And services were being changed so they “worked better for patients, rather than patients having to work around hospitals”, she added.
Source: bbc.co.uk