Aimed at patients having treatment at the six NHS trusts providing radiotherapy treatment across the region, the videos describe what patients can expect when they come to hospital for radiotherapy; and what they will experience as they go through their treatment.
The patient information videos have been produced by the West Midlands Radiotherapy Network (WMRN), working with representatives from the trusts and the Lingen Davies Trust.
Patricia Barnett, WMRN Manager, says the videos were influenced by patients’ views and the digital information needs and preferences they expressed in the first-ever national patient experience survey of women receiving radiotherapy in 2023.
Feedback showed that around only half of the patients were happy or very happy with the information they had seen on hospital websites; or completely understood the late or long-term effects of radiotherapy.
Patricia said: “We’re delighted to be launching these patient videos and hope they will be widely used across the West Midlands to help breast patients understand how their radiotherapy treatment will be delivered and what to expect.
“They’re designed to complement and not replace written patient information, and we’ll be seeking feedback from staff about how well received they have been and the difference they have made on the patient experience.”
Patients are also being encouraged to let their radiotherapy teams know if the videos have helped them.
Watch the videos here
Find out more about the work of the Radiotherapy network