Research into patients’ experiences of cancer treatment and care

Recruitment for this research has now closed. Thank you for your interest.

What are we doing?

We would like to understand how patients with cancer feel about the care and treatment they receive. We have developed a questionnaire that will be used to gather feedback from people living with cancer. We are testing the draft questions to check that they make sense and are clearly understood by people completing it.

Who can take part?

You can take part in this research if you are 16 or older, have a confirmed primary diagnosis of cancer, and have received treatment from the NHS for your cancer in the past 6 months.

What will happen if I take part?

If you agree to take part, we will schedule a convenient time to go over the questionnaire with you so you can provide your feedback. This will happen over the telephone or through online video/audio conferencing software (eg Microsoft Teams or Skype). If you wish to take part, we will obtain consent from you before the interview.

A researcher from Picker will send you a copy of the questionnaire and will talk through the questions with you. The researcher will ask some questions to understand how you went about answering the questionnaire. For example, they may ask if you found any questions confusing, what your thoughts are about the terms used, and how you found the design of the questionnaire. Your feedback and comments will us to improve the questionnaire.

The interview should take about 60 minutes to complete. Once the interview is complete, you will be given a £30 Amazon or Love2Shop voucher as a thank you for your time.

Do I have to take part?

No, participation in this research is entirely voluntary. It is up to you whether or not you take part. If you decide not to take part, this will not affect the care you receive in any way. Your care providers will not know who has taken part.

Who is organising the research?

The research is being carried out by Picker, an independent healthcare research charity based in Oxford. Picker has a history of supporting those working across health and social care systems measuring patient experience to drive quality improvement in healthcare. The research is funded by NHS England and NHS Improvement.

What are the benefits of taking part?

The information you provide will be used to help improve a new questionnaire before it is sent out to other cancer patients. The findings from the survey will help us better understand the experiences of people living with cancer and will help influence and shape cancer services in the future.

Will what I say in this study be kept confidential?

• Yes – your views will be kept entirely confidential. No identifying information (such as names) will be shared with anyone who provides your care and treatment.
• We will report views anonymously, ensuring no one can link your comments to you.
• What you say about the questionnaire will not affect your healthcare or rights to healthcare in any way.
• You will be asked to complete a consent form that will be used only by researchers to confirm you have chosen to take part.

What will happen to the information that I share?

The information that you share will be used to inform the development of the survey questions and ensure that the final questions make sense to people living with cancer. All information you provide will be anonymised; any details that might identify you will be removed.

Recruitment into this research has now closed. Thank you for your interest.