Cancer Action Team Research Articles

Lapco: national training programme for laparoscopic colorectal surgery

In 2006 the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence issued guidance that laparoscopic resection is recommended as an alternative to open resection for individuals with colorectal cancer in whom both laparoscopic and open surgery are considered suitable. Due to the lack of trained colorectal surgeons a waiver was issued, which is due to be reviewed in September 2009. In 2007 the Cancer Action Team (CAT) at the Department of Health (DH) instituted the national training programme (NTP) for laparoscopic colorectal surgery (LCS) for colorectal consultants in England. The intention is to provide all suitable patients with bowel cancer in need of resection, access to a trained surgeon for laparoscopic resection. The programme is funded by the CAT.

Skin cancer.

The latest information on skin cancer prevention and early diagnosis is available on a new website, the Skin Cancer Hub, developed as part of the Skin Cancer Prevention Initiative, funded by the National Cancer Action Team and led by the South West Public Health Observatory.

CPORT: Effective partnership working to optimize chemotherapy capacity in the UK

e20687 Background: Capacity planning in a complex environment such as a chemotherapy unit is a difficult task; combined with ever increasing patient numbers and limited budgets, time and ability to plan is scarce. This project demonstrates how partnership working between the pharmaceutical industry and NHS service providers can optimise chemotherapy capacity in UK centres. Methods: CPORT stands for “Chemotherapy-Planning Oncology Resource Tool”. The tool is a simulator allowing chemotherapy planners to model how different drugregimens, patient flows, resource levels and ways of working influence the performance of a chemotherapy unit in terms of how many patients are treated, how long they wait, and how much care they receive. A small dedicated team at Roche has been working closely with a team of NHS Facilitators, with the full approval and backing of the National Cancer Action Team. The integrated team have been helping with the roll out of the tool, focusing on supporting cancer units implement CPORT from concept through change and sharing best practice. Results: To date more than 2800 simulations have been run through the tool. Service redesign options have been assessed in minutes and hours, as opposed to weeks and months. The simulator has enabled combinations of several service improvement initiatives to be modelled simultaneously, giving managers the ability to model cancer service delivery in a simulated online environment which is both cost free and risk free. Early results include the better coordination of pharmacy and nursing workload to optimise the available capacity; utlising CPORT to plan the merger of two units and model subsequent resource requirements; modelling the relocation of a unit and predicted caseload of patients. Conclusions: This model represents a successful new form of partnership working between the NHS and the industry to increase capacity within chemotherapy services. It promotes equity of service, better access and an improved experience for all patients receiving chemotherapy, embedding and sustaining the concept of capacity planning within the clinical service. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

United Kingdom National Health Service. Cancer Services Collaborative “Improvement Partnership”,: Redesign of cancer services A national approach

ABC Access, Booking and Choice (MA Programme) AC Association of Coloproctology BAUS British Association of Urological Surgeons (www.baus.org.uk) BASO British Association of Surgical Oncologists (www.baso.org) BE Barium Enema BGS British Society of Gastrology (www.icr.ac.uk/research) BGS British Gynaecology Society (www.bspoga.ukgateway.uk) BSP Breast Screening Programme BX Biopsy CA 1. Calcium 2. Cancer 3. Carcinoma CAT Cancer Action Team C and D Capacity and Demand CHART Continuous Hyperfractionated Accelerated Radiation therapy CHI/CHAI Commission for Health Improvement (www.healthcarecommission.org.uk) Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection CSC-IP Cancer Services Collaborative-Improvement Partnership CT Computerised tomography (Radiology), a type of body scan