Developing a regional cancer service; lessons from the Waitemata Cancer Patient Experience Survey.

AIM: As part of a project developing cancer service capability, the National Health Service (NHS) Cancer patient experience survey was used to assess the currently available services at Waitemata District Health Board (WDHB).

METHODS: Patients presenting with cancer to WDHB in the previous 12 months were mailed a copy of the survey, to the initial cohort in 2013 and to the second in 2015. Results were compared between survey periods and with the 2015 NHS Cancer Patient Experience Survey.

RESULTS: In 2013, 329 patients completed the survey while 319 responded in 2015. Over 90% of patients classed their experience as good or excellent in both survey periods and comparison showed significant overall improvement (p=0.001) in patient experience between 2013 and 2015. Overall, WDHB benchmarked with the NHS experience but the NHS performed better than WDHB in cancer nurse specialist contact for ongoing support and information related to eligibility for financial assistance.

CONCLUSION: The results of these confirm that the NHS Cancer Patient Experience Survey provides meaningful data within New Zealand and that WDHB cancer patient experience has improved over the survey period. This data has assisted WDHB in prioritising patient information resources and treatment planning in developing services.