London has the worst hospitals in the country when it comes to cancer care, according to an analysis of how patients rate their treatment,
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs five hospitals in the capital, was named the most badly performing in England by the charity Macmillan Cancer Support.
Nine out of the 10 hospital trusts at the bottom of Macmillan’s league table are in London, with NHS chiefs warning that recent budget cuts are having an impact on care. Macmillan based its rankings on feedback from more than 70,000 patients on how they felt they were looked after during treatment.
Macmillan’s director for England Steve Richards said: “London is a bit of a black hole in terms of patient experience of cancer care. It’s a major worry.”
An Imperial College NHS Trust spokeswoman said it acknowledged that the experience some cancer patients had was below the standard it aimed to deliver when the survey was carried out. The research found a north-south divide, with hospitals in Yorkshire, the North-East, the North-West and Derbyshire holding eight of the 10 top spots.
