National Voices has published a new report, People’s experiences of diagnosis, which brings together insights from people with lived experience and members on the entire process of diagnosis – from trying to get an appointment for a diagnostic referral, to undergoing tests, and experiences post-diagnosis.
The report covers the themes of challenges in diagnosis, inequalities in diagnosis, and new innovation in diagnosis, before concluding with nine recommendations for improving patient experience of diagnosis.
These nine recommendations include:
- Adjustments and adaptations to enable access
- Provide better support while waiting
- Listen to the patient
- Better communication around diagnosis
- Make sure people have a plan
- Provide access to support groups
- Collect better data to understand the driver of diagnostic health inequalities, and act on it rapidly
- Upskill, coordinate and ultimately increase the workforce
- Have health equity embedded into new innovations the start
You can read the full report here (pcdn.co).