Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2024: Support and Information for People Receiving Cancer Care

Overall Experience

Overall care

95% of people rated their overall care positively, 1% rated negatively and 4% were neutral.

The percentage of people rating their overall care positively is lower among people with gynaecological cancer (90%), compared to all patients (95%).

Figure 1. Percentage of responses rating overall care positively, by cancer group. Weighted percentages and 95% confidence intervals.

Information about how cancer types are grouped together is available in the glossary section of the 2024 Cancer Patient Experience Survey Technical Report.

Clinical Nurse Specialist or named contact

A cancer clinical nurse specialist (CNS) is a specialist cancer nurse who delivers services and supports people and families who require specialist care across hospital and community settings. 93% of people reported being given the name of a CNS or another named contact who would support them through their treatment.

Higher proportions of people with urological and skin cancer (20% and 15%) were not given a CNS or other named contact, compared to all patients (7%).

Figure 2. People who were not given a CNS or other named contact, by cancer group. Weighted percentages and 95% confidence intervals.

The percentage of people who found it quite difficult or very difficult to contact their CNS or other named contact is larger among people with breast cancer (9%), compared with all patients (6%).

Figure 3. Percentage of people who found it quite or very difficult to contact their CNS or another named contact, by cancer group. Weighted percentages and 95% confidence intervals.

Administration of care

The survey asked people to rate the administration of their care, for example getting letters at the right time, doctors having the right notes / test results, etc.

The percentage of people who rated the administration of their care positively was higher among those who were given the name of a CNS or another named contact, compared to those who were not.

Figure 4. Percentage of people rating the administration of their care positively, neutrally, or negatively, by whether they were given the name of a CNS or another named contact. Weighted percentages and 95% confidence intervals.