Stockport NHS Foundation Trust provides a wide range of first-class, modern cancer services to the people of Stockport and the High Peak. We work across all business groups in the Trust and our partner organisations to ensure the development, management and delivery of a high quality patient pathway of care.
Patient pathways are the route patients will take through the health care system from their first contact with an NHS member of staff (usually their GP), through referral, diagnosis and completion of their treatment.
Cancer pathways can cross three or more organisational boundaries, for example GPs, District General Hospitals, specialist cancer centres which provide highly specialised surgery, complex chemotherapy or radiotherapy. For an example of a typical pathway of care, click here.
Our targets, as set out in the NHS Cancer Plan 2000, are to:
See all patients within 14 days of referral from their GP
Treat all patients within 31 days from decision to treat
Treat all patients within 62 days of GP referral.
We aim to:
Improve the quality of treatment and care provided to cancer patients by ensuring that cancer care is consistent and provided by professionals with expertise in treating specific cancers
Improve access to appropriate high quality services
Improve outcomes (reduce the number of deaths from cancer and increase survival)
Improve patient experience.
Cancer network
The Trust is member of the Greater Manchester and Cheshire Cancer Network (GMCCN). The GMCCN allows providers (organisations that provide services) and commissioners (organisations that plan, purchase and monitor services), to work collaboratively to plan and deliver the best cancer services possible for the people of Greater Manchester and East Cheshire.
Role of the Macmillan Lead Nurse for Cancer and Palliative Care:
Responsible for the strategic planning and development of cancer, palliative and end of life care services for the Trust, in collaboration with providers and commissioners across the GMCCN
Lead on the strategic development and delivery of the national, regional and local cancer, palliative care and end of life nursing and performance agenda
Provide clinical and professional leadership to cancer nurses and allied health professionals working with cancer, palliative and end of life patients across the Trust to ensure effective delivery of services by encouraging and sharing good practice
Trust lead for cancer Patient and Public Involvement to enable stakeholder involvement in the development of current and future service provision.
The Peer Review
The National Cancer Peer Review programme is an integral part of the NHS Cancer Plan, Cancer Reform Strategy and the Modernisation of Cancer Services. The programme supports quality assurance of cancer services and enables quality improvements. It provides a mechanism by which cancer service providers will be able to demonstrate they are meeting the standards in terms of safety, clinical and cost effectiveness, governance and patient focus, especially around decisions which respect the diverse needs, preferences and choices of patients, carers and relatives.
The aim of Peer Review
To improve care for people with cancer and their families by:
Ensuring services are as safe as possible
Improving the quality and effectiveness of care
Improving the patient and carer experience
Undertaking independent, fair review of services
Providing development and learning for all involved, encouraging the dissemination of good practice.
Cancer Tracker
Tracking a patient through their pathway of care is often challenging and the Cancer Tracker is responsible for the co-ordination and organisation of all suspected cancer referrals to treatment. They will support the flow of information from primary care into secondary care, ensuring timely management of the clinical pathways for each patient. They have to maintain and upload information onto supporting databases linked to the patient pathway and recording investigation, treatment and related information. They have to be proactive, ensuring any potential breaches or pathway blockages are identified and immediately rectified with the appropriate service manager.
Multi-disciplinary Team (MDT) Co-ordinator
The MDT Co-ordinators have sole responsibility for co-ordinating the activities of the MDT. This includes liaising with all organisations, either internally or externally, involved in providing care and core services to ensure that a comprehensive list of patients is formulated and all documentation is available for MDT meetings. They ensure these meetings run effectively, well structured and all patients are discussed to ensure patients follow the agreed clinical pathways. It is their job to work with the Lead Clinician to develop their team around the patient journey and ensuring the patient and carer experience of care is central to every stage of their pathway. Co-ordinators also work in collaboration with the Cancer Trackers to ensure deadlines are met and potential breach patients are highlighted and action taken to ensure breaches are avoided.
Contact us
Debbie Parr - Administration Manager - 0161 419 4761
Angela Heer - MDT Manager - 0161 419 5580
Beverley Meenan - Lead Nurse Cancer & Palliative Care - 0161 419 4253
Steven Bellini - Cancer Data & Audit Manager - 0161 419 5129
Useful links
Cancer Plan for the North West of England to 2012
NHS Cancer Plan 2000
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
Cancer Research UK
Macmillan Cancer Support