Cancer care in Sunderland and South Tyneside amongst best in NHS

Cancer care across South Tyneside and Sunderland is rated amongst the best in the NHS, that’s according to patients and families who have used local services.

The National Cancer Patient Experience Survey for 2025, shows patients rate their overall care at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (STSFT) as strong 9 out of 10.

This is above the national NHS average and in the top 35% of all Trusts nationally.

STSFT is a major provider of cancer services in the region, providing support for a range of cancers, as well as more specialist care for people who have Head and Neck or Male cancers.

The latest results reflect STSFT’s continued commitment to improving services for people living with and being treated for cancer.

The feedback, from over 900 local patients, is about their experience of diagnosis, treatment and support.

92% of patients felt their whole care team worked well together at STSFT and 90% said the administration of their care (how it was organised) was very good or good.

The Trust achieved better than expected results in a total of 19 areas of cancer care.

This included how sensitively diagnoses are communicated, the support provided by care teams, access to information about treatment side effects, and how effectively services work together to coordinate care.

Patients also felt waiting times for diagnostic test results and cancer treatment appointments were about right, while many highlighted the support they received at home from community and voluntary services.

Caroline Tweedie is the Trust’s Macmillan Lead Cancer Nurse. She said: “We want to thank every patient who took the time to share their views. Behind every response is someone who has gone through, or is still having, cancer care. We are with them, and their loved ones, every step of the way.

“This survey asks people lots of questions and this helps guide us on where we need to improve care even further.

“We are proud that our patients continue to recognise the high-quality care and support they receive from us throughout their cancer journey. We’re also delighted to see we performed better than the national scores across so many areas.

“These results reflect the dedication, compassion and professionalism of our cancer teams. They work hard to make sure every patient feels informed, supported and cared for at every stage of their cancer experience."

The 2025 results reflect improvements made in response to feedback from the 2024 survey.

Over the past year, STSFT has strengthened its holistic needs assessments, helping staff better understand and respond to patients’ physical, emotional and practical needs.

This work has been particularly focused within the Trust’s Emergency Departments and Emergency Assessment Units.

Access to rehabilitation and personalised care services has also been expanded, with additional support introduced for people who have completed treatment and those living with treatable, but not curable, cancer.

Following feedback about parking difficulties when attending chemotherapy appointments, dedicated parking spaces have been introduced and can now be booked through the Trust’s Cancer Information Centres.

The initiative has helped reduce stress and anxiety for patients undergoing treatment.

Staff training and education has increased so they can direct people to the right help.

The Trust also has a dedicated Cancer Information Hub to help support people.