Torbay cancer patients rate care among the best in the country

The findings come from the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2025, which compared responses from 130 NHS trusts across England.

Torbay and South Devon achieved more than 20 scores that were significantly above the national average when compared with similar organisations, with patients praising communication, emotional support, care planning and access to specialist cancer professionals.

Almost 500 patients who received cancer treatment between April and June 2025 took part in the survey, giving the Trust an overall score of 9.1 out of 10.

The Trust also recorded a response rate of 60 per cent, well above the national average of 48 per cent.

Patients rated several aspects of their care particularly highly.

The survey found that 96 per cent of respondents said they received all the information they needed before diagnostic tests, while 95 per cent said they had a named point of contact within their cancer care team. Of those, 89 per cent said they found it easy to get in touch with that person and 97 per cent found the advice they received helpful.

The Trust also scored highly for personalised care, with 97 per cent of patients saying someone helped them create a care plan, while 99 per cent said their plan was regularly reviewed and kept up to date.

More than nine in ten respondents said they felt their care teams worked well together, while 92 per cent said they were treated with respect and dignity during their hospital care.

Nicola McMinn, Chief Nurse at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, welcomed the results.

She said: "We are delighted that our patients continue to tell us they receive such high-quality cancer care and support. A cancer diagnosis can be one of the most challenging times in a person's life, so it is incredibly rewarding to see patients recognise the compassion, professionalism and dedication shown by our teams every day.

"These results reflect the commitment of colleagues across our cancer services and the wider organisation who work tirelessly to ensure people feel informed, supported and involved in decisions about their care.

"We are particularly pleased that we recorded no areas performing below the expected national standard and that so many aspects of our service were rated significantly above expectations."

She added that while the Trust was proud of the results, it would continue to use patient feedback to improve services.

"We are committed to learning from our patients and using their feedback to continually improve. While there is much to celebrate, we know there are opportunities to strengthen support for people once they leave hospital and we will continue to work closely with our partners across primary care and the community to enhance the experience patients receive throughout their cancer journey."

The National Cancer Patient Experience Survey received responses from more than 64,000 patients across England and is commissioned by NHS England.