Macmillan compiles a patient experience league table every year. Pic: Macmillan Cancer Support

Barts Health, the NHS trust overseeing the Royal London and Mile End hospitals, is the worst performing trust for patient experience in the UK, according to a Macmillan Cancer Support survey.

In its annual patient experience league table, the charity named seven London NHS trusts among the worst performing ten.

Barts Health, which is responsible for the care of nearly three million east Londoners, is the worst in the whole of the UK.

The league table is composed from statistics gained from surveys of over 70,000 cancer patients.

It monitors a number of aspects of healthcare, such as performance in verbal and written communications, care planning, financial support, care coordination and transition.

Barts is the largest trust of its format in the country, overseeing six hospital sites. It has come under fire for standards of care along with the six other London trusts ranked in the bottom ten.

A spokesperson for Barts said the results published by Macmillan were “extremely disappointing” and said they are “truly sorry” that patients had not always received the standards of care they expected.

Macmillan’s London general manager Carol Fenton said: “London trusts are making enormous efforts but too many cancer patients in the capital are not yet getting the care they deserve.”

Despite the results of Macmillan’s survey, the month of October saw Barts also being awarded top marks from their patients in an annual mandatory inspection led by NHS England to review the care environment.

Patients, as well as members of the public and relatives, took part across all six hospitals. The inspection is based on cleanliness, condition, appearance and maintenance.

The Barts spokesperson said: “The inspection results do not drill down into services so it isn’t possible to look at the results for areas where people with cancer would be cared for. It is clear there is more we must do to improve.”

Over the last 12 months, the trust has begun implementing a range of improvements aimed at addressing many of the concerns patients have raised.

These have focused on improving how they communicate with patients, how they involve them in their care and decision-making and, ultimately, how they ensure the service is world-class.

The charity said it would continue its partnership with Barts to deliver an “ambitious programme of work”.