Table 4

Characteristics of patients with breast cancer reporting their care experience with cancer clinical nurse specialists (CNS)

Type of experience	CNS name		Contacting CNS				Speaking to CNS				Understanding CNS
Level of care experience	Not given* (n=2721)		Excellent (n=27 740) (72.1%)		Non-excellent (n=10 736) (28.9%)		Excellent (n=37 056) (90.6%)		Non-excellent (n=3852) (9.4%)		Excellent (n=34 898) (91.4%)		Non-excellent (n=3303) (8.6%)
Variable	n	%	n	%	n	%	N	%	N	%	n	%	n	%
*Age group*
<45	470	17.3	3506	12.6	1894	17.6	4960	13.4	680	17.7	4786	13.7	640	19.4
45–59	1189	43.7	10 574	38.1	4761	44.3	14 494	39.1	1774	46.1	13 978	40.1	1397	42.3
60–74	812	29.8	10 687	38.5	3369	31.4	13 857	37.4	1155	30.0	12 857	36.8	1000	30.3
75–99	250	9.2	2973	10.7	712	6.6	3745	10.1	243	6.3	3277	9.4	266	8.1
χ2 and p value			χ2=515.5; p<0.001				χ2=257.8; p<0.001				χ2=166.4; p<0.001
*Ethnicity*
White	2268	83.4	23 244	83.8	8774	81.7	30 910	83.4	3162	82.1	29 159	83.6	2617	79.2
Non-white	162	6.0	1219	4.4	707	6.6	1764	4.8	260	6.7	1622	4.6	311	9.4
Unknown	291	10.7	3277	11.8	1255	11.7	4382	11.8	430	11.2	4117	11.8	375	11.4
χ2 and p value			χ2=84.4; p<0.001				χ2=37.2; p<0.001				χ2=147.7; p<0.001
*Area*
East Midlands	446	16.4	2374	8.6	932	8.7	3259	8.8	373	9.7	3002	8.6	323	9.8
East of England	236	8.7	3321	12.0	1239	11.5	4412	11.9	439	11.4	4154	11.9	393	11.9
London	312	11.5	2841	10.2	1607	15.0	4025	10.9	645	16.7	3839	11.0	537	16.3
North East	71	2.6	1860	6.7	428	4.0	2244	6.1	155	4.0	2129	6.1	132	4.0
North West	181	6.7	3284	11.8	1119	10.4	4198	11.3	417	10.8	3974	11.4	334	10.1
South East	504	18.5	4202	15.1	1869	17.4	5876	15.9	607	15.8	5459	15.6	529	16.0
South West	398	14.6	3387	12.2	1229	11.4	4535	12.2	422	11.0	4300	12.3	340	10.3
West Midlands	429	15.8	3297	11.9	1126	10.5	4347	11.7	383	9.9	4072	11.7	353	10.7
Yorkshire & Humber	144	5.3	3174	11.4	1187	11.1	4160	11.2	411	10.7	3969	11.4	362	11.0
χ2 and p value			χ2=751.5; p<0.001				χ2=568.8; p<0.001				χ2=550.4; p<0.001
*IMD*
1—affluent	692	25.4	6329	22.8	2536	23.6	8489	22.9	903	23.4	8106	23.2	679	20.6
2	620	22.8	6673	24.1	2565	23.9	8958	24.2	897	23.3	8474	24.3	750	22.7
3	579	21.3	5948	21.4	2388	22.2	8033	21.7	797	20.7	7577	21.7	660	20.0
4	504	18.5	4952	17.9	1846	17.2	6532	17.6	696	18.1	6090	17.5	630	19.1
5—deprived	326	12.0	3838	13.8	1401	13.0	5044	13.6	559	14.5	4651	13.3	584	17.7
χ2 and p value			χ2=24.0; p=0.02				χ2=20.8; p=0.008				χ2=78.5; p<0.001
*Route to diagnosis*
ER	67	2.5	323	1.2	118	1.1	439	1.2	40	1.0	393	1.1	42	1.3
GP	286	10.5	1857	6.7	871	8.1	2578	7.0	316	8.2	2427	7.0	280	8.5
Screening	609	22.4	8317	30.0	2935	27.3	11 102	30.0	1051	27.3	10 389	29.8	846	25.6
Two-week referral	1277	46.9	15 295	55.1	6061	56.5	20 366	55.0	2153	55.9	19 270	55.2	1867	56.5
Elective referral	79	2.9	597	2.2	200	1.9	757	2.0	78	2.0	725	2.1	71	2.1
Unknown	403	14.8	1351	4.9	551	5.1	1814	4.9	214	5.6	1694	4.9	197	6.0
χ2 and p value			χ2=649.2; p<0.001				χ2=626.4; p<0.001				χ2=637.3; p<0.001
*Stage*
I	560	20.6	7923	28.6	2663	24.8	10 549	28.5	940	24.4	9821	28.1	773	23.4
II	791	29.1	9012	32.5	3394	31.6	11 879	32.1	1195	31.0	11 355	32.5	978	29.6
III	237	8.7	2503	9.0	1025	9.5	3353	9.0	323	8.4	3142	9.0	343	10.4
IV	170	6.2	779	2.8	318	3.0	1042	2.8	140	3.6	931	2.7	139	4.2
Unknown	963	35.4	7523	27.1	3336	31.1	10 233	27.6	1254	32.6	9649	27.6	1070	32.4
χ2 and p value			χ2=281.8; p<0.001				χ2=260.8; p<0.001				χ2=290.4; p<0.001

All χ2 tested for differences between three groups (excellent, non-excellent and not having CNS) across all variables in the table.
*Patients who were not given a CNS name were asked to not report their experience with the other three CNS questions (contacting CNS, speaking to CNS and understanding CNS).
ER, emergency room; GP, general practitioner; IMD, Indices of Multiple Deprivation.