A Vanguard Innovation project designed to support primary care staff in detecting cancer has been shortlisted for a prestigious HSJ award.
Gateway-C is an online platform that uses interactive films and other educational resources to help GPs improve the way they refer patients for cancer treatment.
The platform, which is currently being rolled out across Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire, has been shortlisted in the ‘Improving outcomes through learning and development’ category of the annual awards.
Dr Catherine Heaven, who leads the Gateway-C project and is Associate Director of The Christie School of Oncology, said: ‘Being shortlisted is a huge honour and it’s testimony to the hard work the team has put in over many months.
‘Greater Manchester has a large number of cancers diagnosed at a late stage and we hope Gateway-C goes some way to reducing that number and improving patients’ chances of survival.’
The platform features a number of films based on real-life consultations which have been developed with patient involvement and expert GP guidance. The courses are designed to improve early diagnosis of cancer by supporting GPs in making decisions about whether to use two-week referral pathways for possible cancer.
Currently, courses to support early diagnosis of lung, colorectal and pancreatic cancers are available, with new modules in lymphoma, skin and brain cancer in development. There are also modules to support GPs in effectively managing, and knowing when to seek specialist advice for, the late effects of colorectal cancer and in supporting management of end-stage lung cancer.
A pilot study to evaluate the impact of Gateway-C showed that 95 per cent of GPs felt the platform helped them with referrals.
A spokesperson for the HSJ, the preeminent weekly journal for health professionals, said: ‘This year has seen a staggering increase in entries from all over the NHS and wider healthcare industry, so to be shortlisted is a fantastic achievement.’
The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony which will take place on 22 November at the InterContinental O2 venue in London.
You can visit the Gateway-C website here.