The first set of results for the NHS England and NHS Improvement and NHS Digital Cancer Quality of Life Survey have been released via an online dashboard.
The results show that quality of life for people affected by cancer in Humber, Coast and Vale was higher than for those with a cancer diagnosis living in the rest of England.
Respondents 18 months post-cancer diagnosis rated their quality of life below the general population.
As well as measuring quality of life, the survey asks a series of questions to determine an overall health score. While quality of life was rated highly, overall health for those 18 months post-cancer diagnosis was lower than for the general population. Overall health was also slightly lower for the cancer population in HCV than for those with a cancer diagnosis living in the rest of England.
The survey, which aims to find out how quality of life may have changed for different groups of people diagnosed with cancer, helps to identify where care is working well or not so well, and whether any new services are required.
From 2020, people around 18 months past a breast, prostate, or colorectal (bowel) cancer diagnosis were asked to complete the survey. Those 18 months past any other type of cancer diagnosis began being asked in July 2021.
2,216 patients in Humber, Coast and Vale (HCV) were sent the survey. Of this sample, 1,241 people responded, achieving a 56% response rate from September 2020 to July 2021. The results are based on this time period.
Overall, feedback demonstrated a large amount of variation in cancer quality of life, and this was dependent on factors such as cancer type, age at diagnosis, and location.
Information from the survey, which will be updated on the dashboard approximately every six months, is one of a range of resources that will be used to work out where changes should be made to care, with the goal of improving services and quality of life for people diagnosed with cancer.
For a more in-depth look, the results dashboard for The Cancer Quality of Life Survey can be found at www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/cancerqol.
