We are always looking at ways to improve patients' experiences of coming for radiotherapy.
Find out about some of the projects we have been working on below.
Winning poster for James Cook radiotherapy department
Congratulations to Marium Malik and Catherine Wilson, Therapeutic Radiographers at The James Cook Cancer Institute, who submitted the winning poster at the Allied Health Professionals Day!
Their poster was based on the theme of Improving Safety and Quality of Care to patients. Language barriers can result in increased risk of delays in receiving treatment for side effects during radiotherapy. The poster highlighted the disparity of care that can be experienced by patients where English is not their first language.
A new language aid has been developed for use when an interpreter is not available for daily treatments. The interpreter will work with patients at the beginning of their treatment to write common phrases that staff may need to communicate to the patient, or that the patient needs to communicate to staff. The phrases, such as feeling unwell, or needing a more detailed conversation using an interpretation services, will be written in their native language next to the English translation. The patient can point to the phrase they want to communicate and the English interpretation is available to help staff understand the patient's needs better.
The team hope to expand the template for patients with other communication needs, such as braille.
Well done to all the team for a fantastic piece of work!
attending for radiotherapy videos
We have been working with a local production company, 3 Point Media, to produce a range of information videos for patients to watch before they come to any of our departments for the first time.
We talked to patients about what information was important before they came for treatment. They told us things like how to get here, where to park and what happens if they were late were all really important, as well as what to expect during pre-treatment appointments and how radiotherapy is delivered.
There are separate videos for patients who are going to The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, The Northern Centre for Cancer Care in Newcastle and the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria.
The videos will ensure that patients know how to get to the department, where they can park, where to check-in, what will happen when they come for their first appointment, planning scan, mould room appointment and treatment.
We have involved a local patient group during the development of the videos.
cancer specific patient videos
These videos provide more detail about why you might have been offered radiotherapy, how your treatment will be delivered, short and late side effects you may experience, and what will happen after your radiotherapy treatment finishes.
You will still see your Consultant Clinical Oncologist who will discuss all of this with you and you will have lots of opportunities to ask any questions.
You will be able to share the information video with your family and friends who may also like some additional information about the radiotherapy treatment you will receive.
The videos about radiotherapy and side effects for breast and prostate cancer are available now.
Thank you to everyone who has been involved in developing the videos.
Information videos feedback survey - 2025
This year's feedback about our information videos shows that people feel more reassured, better prepared and much clearer about what to expect when coming for treatment. Most people rated their reassurance very highly and nearly everyone said the videos answered their questions.
The videos, covering radiotherapy for specific tumours, as well as general information about coming for radiotherapy, are helping patients feel more informed, reassured and prepared for treatment.
Patients feel more prepared and reassured
Radiotherapy for prostate cancer and side effects following radiotherapy for prostate cancer are still the most watched videos with 4,648 views during 2025.
- 19 out of 20 respondents had watched one or both of these videos.
- 19 out of 20 respondents said the videos answered their questions about radiotherapy
- Over 90% rated their overall reassurance as 5 out of 5
- 75% felt very prepared for treatment
Improving understanding of the treatment process
People who watched the "Coming for radiotherapy" videos also reported improvements in understanding the practical aspects of attending for treatment.
- Most respondents strongly agreed that the information about getting to the hospital was useful
- All respondents said they would feel confident finding their way to the radiotherapy department
- The majority felt well informed about what to expect at their pre-treatment appointment.
The responses highlight the value of clear, visual information in helping to reduce anxiety and build patient confidence.
A positive impact at a challenging time
Feedback from patients consistently highlights the videos' role in reducing anxiety, improving understanding and helping patients feel more in control of their treatment.
One patient shared:
"I now feel more at ease".
Another wrote:
"Fantastic - a lot of good information. I feel confident about coming for treatment".
And other said:
"Informative and compassionate. Reassuring word of support and expertise available"
PROSTATE RADIOTHERAPY INFORMATION SURVEY - JANUARY 2024
We have information videos available for prostate radiotherapy and side effects from prostate radiotherapy which we want people to watch to help make informed decisions about treatment and so they know what to expect when they come for radiotherapy.
We carried our a recent survey to find out how many patients were aware of the videos and how much they had helped them prepare for their treatment.
The aim was to measure the impact of the videos on patient preparedness for radiotherapy and make improvements based on responses.
NETWORK PATIENT INFORMATION SURVEY - November 2023
We have moved to digital patient feedback surveys at each of our radiotherapy centres and staff at each centre can offer a digital device for you to complete the surveys whilst you're in the department.
Our most recent survey ran in all our centres from 6th to 17th November 2023. We wanted to know whether patients had access to enough information before they came for treatment and their preferences for how this was provided.
NATIONAL RADIOTHERAPY EXPERIENCE SURVEY - SEPTEMBER 2023
We recently ran the National Radiotherapy Patient Experience Survey at all of our centres and had a really good response from patients who came for treatment.
Initial results from our network are really promising, with 100% of patients at James Cook University Hospital and The Northern Centre for Cancer Care rating their care as excellent or good!
Thank you to all our patients who took time to complete the survey; we really appreciate it and wouldn't be able to improve services without your feedback. And thank you to our staff who supported the survey.
A full report is due in spring 2024 when we look forward to sharing more detailed results. Watch this space!