The under 16 cancer patient survey was conducted by healthcare research charity Picker on behalf of NHS England.
Over four in five (82%) of parents or carers reported they could ‘definitely' find information about their child's diagnosis in 2024 – a sizeable improvement from 72% in 2023.
Over three quarters (77%) of parents or carers said that hospital staff were ‘always' sensitive when discussing information in front of their child (up from 71% in 2023), and 80% felt staff always shared information with children in an appropriate way (up from 76% in 2023).
There were also improvements around privacy in hospitals – although a large proportion of parents, carers, and children still reported concerns. In 2024, 57% said that they ‘always' had somewhere private to talk to staff when in hospital, an increase from 50% in both 2023 and 2022.
Areas for improvement included the proportion of children who felt that hospital staff ‘always' talked to them, not just their parent or carer, decreased from 78% in 2023 to 71% in 2024.
Only 70% of parents or carers reported they were definitely told about their child's cancer or tumour diagnosis in a sensitive way.
Similarly, 71% of parents or carers felt they were seen at the hospital as soon as they thought was necessary after being referred by their GP.
Three quarters (75%) of parents, carers and children reported information at diagnosis was definitely given in a way they could understand.
Amy Tallett, Picker's head of research, said: ‘As the Government continues to develop its National Cancer Plan, these results should be used by providers to understand care quality from the perspective of young patients and their parents – and this insight should be used to guide improvements in the things that matter most to people affected by childhood cancers. At a national level, these results provide robust evidence about priorities for the upcoming cancer plan and as the 10-Year Plan is implemented. Listening to and acting on feedback from young patients and their families is vital to ensuring high quality person centred care for all.'
