"Outstanding cancer treatment and care..."

What I liked

It was not me but actually the father of my three sons who was in the Royal Free for two weeks after halting chemo treatment for pancreas cancer. From the Royal Free he went to the Marie Curie Hospice and we spent twelve days there with him before he passed away in comfort and peace on 26 October 2010. He was really impressed with the dedicated staff and the particular care given to him on the specialist cancer ward. Above all, he felt that the specialist oncologist consultants were very committed and trying to do everything possible for him. The team tried every possible way to prolong his life and also maintain his quality of life. Their sensitive approach to telling Richard bad news was also very much appreciated by Richard and the family. We know that the Royal Free is committed to pioneering new treatments tailored to the needs of the individual and we are setting up some fund-raising events next year in order to raise money for this particular work. We are very grateful and would like our best wishes to be passed on to everyone responsible for cancer care and treatment at the Royal Free.

What could be improved

Richard's only criticism was regarding the admin. There were times that appointments did not happen for exactly when they had been agreed. These criticisms were small in comparison with all the good and important things.

Anything else?

The counselling service was used by me and it was very helpful and helped me prepare for what became inevitable