Principal Investigator:Dr Richard Wagland, Senior Research Fellow, University of Southampton, School of Health Sciences

Co-Investigators:

Professor Alison Richardson, Professor of Cancer Nursing & End of Life Care and Director of NIHR ARC Wessex, University of Southampton & University Hospital Southampton

John Defty, Advanced Clinical Practitioner in Cancer Care, University Hospital Southampton

Dr Emma Brown, Medical Oncologist, Acute Oncology Lead. University Hospital Southampton

Start date: January 2023

End Date: May 2024

Funder: University Hospitals Southampton (UHS) NHS Foundation Trust R&D Small Grants Award

Lay summary

People with cancer often need to access acute oncology (AO) services for serious problems caused by their disease or treatment. This study will co-design a questionnaire, involving patients, staff and researchers, to measure patient experience. Findings from surveys that use this questionnaire can inform service improvements.

The research will produce a questionnaire and a protocol on how best to manage data collection processes and do the groundwork for a future grant application to distribute and test the questionnaire in services in Wessex and across England. Findings from exercises that use this questionnaire can establish and compare the quality of patient experience across services and inform improvements.

Background

Hospitals have established structured pathways for managing patients with oncological emergencies through acute oncology (AO) services. Whilst some Trusts have developed local questionnaires specific to that service there is no survey available to measure and compare patient experience across NHS trusts. This study will co-design a patient-reported experience measure (PREM), intended to be adaptable for use across different AO service models.

Advisory Group Members:

Andrew Dossett, Lead Clinical Advanced Clinical Practitioner for Acute Oncology Service, University Hospital Southampton             

Jane Winter, Macmillan Lead Nurse, Wessex Cancer Alliance

Laura White, Head of Involvement & Participation, University Hospital Southampton

Katie Hudson, Lead Advanced Clinical Practitioner for Cancer Care Wards, University Hospital Southampton

Mrs Susan Restorick-Banks (PPI Representative)

Mrs Anne Ongley (PPI Representative)

Alison Keen, Head of Cancer Nursing, University Hospital Southampton

Philippa Jones, Acute Oncology Nurse Advisor, Board Member of UK Acute Oncology Society.

Prof. Ernie Marshall, Medical Oncologist, Wirral University Teaching Hospital (Clatterbridge) NHS England national lead for Acute Oncology