Cancer patient praises ‘positive’ hospital care
A PATIENT from Littleborough has praised the ‘very positive’ cancer care he received from The Christie.
Paul Ferriday, 55, was treated for testicular cancer at The Christie cancer treatment centre in Manchester, which has received the results of the annual national inpatient survey, published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The 2021 inpatient survey shows that The Christie performed ‘Much better than expected’ compared with other hospital trusts.
It asked patients questions about hospital admission and discharge, the hospital and ward environment, care and treatment, their operations and procedures, communication with staff, involvement in decisions and being treated with respect and dignity.
Patients at The Christie gave the cancer centre a score of 9 out of 10 in the survey when asked what their overall experience was while they were in hospital.
Paul was originally diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2008 and had a recurrence in 2019.
In March 2021 he had further abdominal surgery, involving an 8-hour operation at The Christie, and was an inpatient for nine days afterwards.
“Nobody ever wants to be in hospital, but the experience I had as an inpatient at The Christie was very positive,” said Paul.
“I am not at all surprised that they have done so well in this patient survey, as I cannot fault the care and treatment I received.
“The staff were caring, companionate and professional at all times and treated me with respect and dignity.”
The survey also highlighted several areas where patient experience could be improved at The Christie, including the amount of noise and light at night when patients are sleeping, communication with patients, helping patients to understand their discharge information and asking patients for their views about the quality of care.
Professor Janelle Yorke, executive chief nurse and director of quality at The Christie, said: “We strive to deliver the highest quality care and services for our inpatients and put patients at the heart of everything we do at The Christie.
“Listening to patient feedback through surveys like this and acting on the findings means we persistently do our utmost to provide the best inpatient experience possible.
“We are proud that our efforts are appreciated so much by our patients in surveys like this but are never complacent and are always looking for ways to improve.”