Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and providers are being invited to express their interest in a pilot creating a new care model for cancer treatment, by NHS England.
Currently, patients with ‘non-specific’ symptoms – that indicate several different cancers don’t have an effective referral pathway and can go back and forth between primary and secondary care, leading to delayed diagnosis.
Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and providers are being invited to express their interest in a pilot creating a new care model for cancer treatment, by NHS England.
Currently, patients with ‘non-specific’ symptoms – that indicate several different cancers don’t have an effective referral pathway and can go back and forth between primary and secondary care, leading to delayed diagnosis.
The Accelerate, Coordinate, Evaluate (ACE) programme, set up by Cancer research UK and NHS England, will pilot a new diagnostic path by setting up multidisciplinary diagnostic centres (MDC), which was recommended in The Independent Cancer Taskforce’s strategy (July 2015).
An MDC doesn’t have to be a new ‘centre’, but can be set up within an existing hospital or community setting and would supplement cancer specific diagnostic pathways.
A patient can undergo several diagnostic tests in one location, at the same time, leading to a faster diagnosis, and supporting GPs whom are unsure of the appropriate referral pathway.
ACE will support pilots by offering evaluation expertise, access to grants to cover management or other pilot delivery support needs, and access to national policy implementation teams.
See more information or get an application form here.
