Stockport’s top ranking for cancer care

7th October 2016

Stockport has been rated as one of the top seven places in the country for its cancer care, new data has revealed.

The ranking is based on how quickly patients are diagnosed, the promptness of their treatment, one-year survival rates and the overall experience of the patient.

Only seven out of England’s 209 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) were given this top performer rating.

In stark contrast, almost nine out of ten NHS areas were deemed as failing cancer patients with care that did not meet the required standards.

The data, produced by NHS England, highlights the massive progress the NHS in Stockport has achieved for cancer patients.

Just 15 years ago, in terms of cancer survival rates, Stockport was in the bottom third for its performance.

Impressively it has steadily climbed up the rankings year on year at a time when cancer survival rates are improving nationwide.

The improvement in survival rates is due to prompt and accurate detection and referral by GPs and prompt hospital diagnostics and high quality treatment.

Local GP, Dr Ranjit Gill, Stockport CCG’s lead family doctor, is proud of the strides that have been made but is insistent that the good work can’t stop now.

Said Dr Gill “These results don’t surprise me – they are a testament to how well GPs and hospital doctors in Stockport are working together and this is just the start.

“We want to improve our performance further and need to make changes to the way GPs and the hospital work together to achieve this.

“Partnerships in health and social care are the future and together we believe we can make huge strides in improving the care the people of Stockport are offered. Together we really can make a real difference.”

Dr Colin Wasson, medical director at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Stepping Hill Hospital and community health services, said, “This is excellent news for local people. Patients in Stockport are surviving cancer who might otherwise not have.

“We’re very proud of our cancer services, from diagnosis, specialist surgery and chemotherapy treatment to ongoing care and support.

“It’s also good that the patient experience is included in these assessments, as experience of care matters as much to most patients as clinical effectiveness and safety. Good patient experience is linked to improved patient outcomes and we are committed to maintaining our top marks in patient satisfaction surveys”.