A new initiative to speed up cancer diagnosis and provide GPs
with an alternative route to urgently refer patients has been
launched.
Three Early Cancer Diagnostic Centres (ECDC), within existing NHS
facilities, will help to pick up cancer earlier where patients do
not meet referral guidelines.
The centres, being delivered through the National Centre for
Sustainable Delivery, will provide GPs with an alternative route
to urgently refer patients who have non-specific symptoms
suspicious of cancer, such as weight loss, fatigue, pain and
nausea, or where the doctor’s instinct is that cancer may be
involved.
Centres in Ayrshire & Arran, Dumfries & Galloway and Fife
will play a key role in delivering earlier diagnosis and improved
care, with fast-track diagnostic testing at one appointment,
where possible. NHS Ayrshire & Arran and NHS Fife aim to
diagnose or rule out cancer within 21 days of diagnosis, while
NHS Dumfries & Galloway is working towards an ambitious 7-day
turnaround.
Currently, around 40% of cancer patients in Scotland are
diagnosed by routes other than by an urgent suspicion of cancer
(USC) referral. Patients presenting with non-specific symptoms
can be more difficult to diagnose as some symptoms, or
combinations of symptoms, can have a range of potential causes,
not all of which are cancer. Where cancer is the cause, the
increased time taken to diagnose these patients can often result
in poorer outcomes.
Under this new model, as well as an examination and suite of
tests performed in primary care at the point of referral,
patients will largely be sent for a CT scan in the first instance
with all results discussed by a team of specialists at the
hospital. All patients will be assigned a ‘navigator’ to support
them throughout their experience and to answer any questions or
concerns they, or their families, have at any time.
Health Secretary said:
“The establishment of our first Early Cancer Diagnostic Centres
within the first 100 days of this new term marks a radical change
to the patient experience of being tested for a suspicion of
cancer and will improve the detection of cancers at an earlier
stage.
“This person-centred service will mean better care for patients,
reducing the number of hospital visits they might otherwise need,
preventing them having to repeat diagnostic testing and improving
outcomes.
“While the centres will have a wider health benefit in
identifying other, serious health conditions, the focus remains
on finding cancer as early as possible when it’s easier to treat.
The centres reinforce our commitment to improving the experience
and outcomes of cancer patients in Scotland and build on the
progress of our £43 million Detect Cancer Early Programme.”
Lorraine Sloan, Strategic Partnership Manager at Macmillan Cancer
Support, said:
“We welcome the introduction of the Early Cancer Diagnostic
Centres. Getting referred for tests to check for cancer can be a
worrying time. These centres should help people navigate their
way through and get support quickly too.
“For those who do get diagnosed with cancer we know this can
affect people physically, emotionally and financially, so early
support is vital to ensuring people’s wider needs are met.
“Anyone concerned about cancer or who has been diagnosed with
cancer can get support from Macmillan Cancer Support on 0808 808
00 00.”
Background
- The Scottish Government’s Cancer Recovery Plan ‘Recovery and
Redesign: Cancer Services - Action Plan’, published in December
2020, committed to establishing at least two Early Diagnostic
Cancer Centres by Spring 2021.
- Clinics are already up and running in NHS Dumfries &
Galloway, where the first one was held on 24 May and Fife which
opened on 7 June, to be followed by NHS Ayrshire & Arran on
21 June.
- Each board will introduce its own distinct pathway in a
phased approach, with capacity increasing in line with patient
need.
- The Early Cancer Diagnostic Centres pilot will run for an
initial 12-month period, with ongoing independent evaluation
throughout to identify optimal components of the model to inform
wider rollout across NHS Scotland.
- At the end of the new pathway, patients will be referred
onward to the most appropriate specialist team, to a
site-specific cancer pathway, or discharged back to their GP
practice.
- The National Centre for Sustainable Delivery has been set up
and commissioned by the Scottish Government and is hosted by NHS
Golden Jubilee. It has been responsible for the design and
development of the ECDC initiative and planning for its
implementation across NHS Scotland.
- Cancer Research UK’s Clinical Engagement Team and Macmillan
Cancer Support is offering navigators education and training
opportunities while supporting in the development of quality
patient resources and surveys, to ensure the service is truly
person-centred and evolves to meet local patient demands over
time.
