Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2015/16

Support for people with cancer

Cancer and its treatments can affect every aspect of life, bringing problems from debt to depression. These problems can last beyond the end of treatment.

Support is often available but people may not always be told how to access it. Ensuring that patients are given clear, understandable and high quality information is therefore of clear importance.

Questions in the survey explore the information provided by hospital staff about support or self-help groups for cancer patients, the impact cancer can have on daily life, and how to get financial help or benefits.

Information about support or self-help groups

Patients were asked whether hosital staff had provided them with information about support or self-help groups. Around a quarter of patients (23%) responded that this was not necessary.

Of those that would have liked this information from hospital staff, one in five (21%) did not receive it (Table 20).

Table 20: Information about support or self-help groups

Amongst tumour groups that were significantly different from the all-cancer average, patients with urological tumours (63%) reported a below-average rate of receiving information about support or self-help groups. Patients with prostate (85%), haematological (84%), and breast tumours (83%) reported a rate that was statistically above average (Figure 18).

Figure 18: % given information about self-help or support groups, by tumour group

Information on impact of cancer on day to day activities

Patients were also asked whether hospital staff provided information or a discussion on the impact that cancer would have on their day to day activities. One third of patients (33%) responded that it was not necessary/relevant.

Of those that would have liked a discussion or information about the impact from hopsital staff, around a quarter (23%) did not receive any (Table 21).

Table 21: Information on impact of cancer on day to day activities

Patients with urological tumours (60%) were statistically less likely than the all-cancer average to report receiving information about the impact cancer could have on their day to day activities. Patients with skin (86%) and prostate tumours (84%) were statistically more likely to report this (Figure 19).

Figure 19: % given information on impact of cancer on day to day activities, by tumour group

Information on financial help and benefits

Patients were asked whether hospital staff had given them information about how to get financial help or benefits to which they might be entitled. Around half of patients (48%) responded that this was not necessary.

Of the patients that would have liked information on financial help and benefits from hospital staff, only half (51%) received this (Table 22).

Table 22: Information on financial help and benefits

Again, patients with urological tumours were statistically below the all-cancer average for this question, with only 32 per cent of patients reporting that they received information about financial help and benefits. Patients with lung (61%) and upper gastrointestinal (66%) tumours were both statistically above the average (Figure 20).

Figure 20: % given information on financial help and benefits, by tumour group