Help more voices be heard in England cancer patient experience

What’s the project?

NHS England is setting up a new subgroup of the Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES) Advisory Group – of which Breast Cancer Now are members – to look at improving uptake of the survey by people who may not usually respond.  

CPES is sent out every year to people in England (aged 16+) to ask them about their recent experiences of NHS cancer care and treatment. The survey results help NHS organisations to improve cancer care and to provide information to charities and groups that support cancer patients.  

The subgroup will be a diverse group of around ten members, including both patients and professionals.  The subgroup will work to understand those who are under-represented and any barriers they may face to participation, and develop targeted initiatives to  ensure their voices are heard. 

Why do you want me to be involved?

An increase in survey participation from under-represented groups would ensure more voices are heard and could help NHS England better understand any differences across patient groups, identifying potential inequalities and helping improve NHS England’s overall understanding of cancer patient experience. 

What will you ask me to do?

You can apply by completing the short online application form. 

Involvement in the subgroup will include up to two hours attendance at virtual MS Teams meetings up to four times a year. The first meeting will be in November 2021. The date of the meeting will be confirmed with at least one months’ notice. As part of the first agenda, we will agree the Terms of Reference with the subgroup. 
You can read more about the role of the subgroup and members’ responsibilities in the information pack.

Who can take part?

We’re aiming for a diverse group with different experiences – what’s important is that you can apply your experience of cancer (as a patient of unpaid carer) to contribute to group discussions, to evaluate information, and to listen and reach out to a diverse range of people affected by cancer, in particular:

- Younger patients (16-55 year olds)
- Older patients (85+)
- Ethnically diverse communities (including Gypsy, Roma and Traveller)

More details on the sort of experiences that would be welcomed are in the information pack – if you can show you meet any of the criteria listed, the group would love to hear from you.