10,000 cancer patients given the wrong drugs

The report by Macmillan Cancer Support found basic failings in the care of tens of thousands of cancer sufferers.

One in three patients said they were treated in dirty surroundings. In cases when patients required extra food - having missed meals because of surgery, or become weak because of their treatment - more than half were denied it.

The YouGov survey of more than 2,000 cancer patients found that six per cent of patients - the equivalent to more than 10,000 patients a year - were given the wrong drugs.

The charity said drug errors involved nurses mixing up medication and giving it to the wrong patients, while in other cases patients were left with inadequate pain relief, because staff did not understand their needs.

The poll found that seven per cent of patients - an estimated 12,000 of the 170,000 treated for cancer each year - became so fed up with the way that the way they were treated by staff that they considered abandoning their treatment early.

Ciarán Devane, Chief Executive at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “It is alarming that so many cancer patients are given the wrong drugs, left hungry while being treated in hospital or have even felt like dropping out of treatment because of their interactions with staff.

“This survey sheds a worrying light on the sub-culture within some parts of the NHS where bad patient experience is acceptable. We have seen this at its worst in the case of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust exposed in the Francis Inquiry.”

The charity said lack of food, incorrect drugs and a dirty environment could compromise the health of cancer patients and put back their recovery.

This article is courtesy of The Telegraph.