National cancer vanguard projects
Establishing a cancer intelligence service
Health organisations collect very large amounts of data about cancer. We will work with our national partners to develop a system that will turn this information into intelligence to help patients and their families make informed decisions and help stakeholders ensure the best possible delivery of cancer services. We will use all available sources of data in Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire and present that data in different formats to meet the needs of a variety of users.
We are working with the creators of the world’s largest patient review website iwantgreatcare.org Our aim is to make it easy and convenient for patients and their families to give feedback on treatment to staff and so provide the information that will help us deliver improved cancer services.
Optimising the use of medicines
We have joined our national partners in challenging the pharmaceutical industry to help us develop a number of projects. These schemes will help improve patients’ experience of their care, reduce waste in the way we use cancer medicines and improve the way we use data. Around 40 companies responded to our ‘Pharma Challenge’, in which pharmaceutical companies presented their ideas to a panel of experts: we have agreed to work in partnership with a number of these companies and are considering taking forward more proposals. You can read more about this national project here. You can read a Pharma Times article about this work here.
Best practice timed pathways
A pathway is the route a patient with a specific diagnosis takes from the start to the end of their treatment. We aim to create standardised and optimal – the very best – pathways for patients diagnosed with lung, prostate, colorectal and oesophageal cancer. We will focus on working with patients, responding to their feedback, collecting and sharing data and increasing opportunities for patients to take part in clinical trials. In time, we hope these best practice timed pathways will become the blueprints for the rest of the health service.
Early diagnosis industry challenge
We and our partners in the national Cancer Vanguard have challenged industry, academics and the third sector to partner with us on projects to improve early diagnosis. The aim of the Early Diagnosis Industry Challenge is to engage expertise from outside the NHS to undertake a small number of high-impact projects which will lead to a tangible improvement in the earlier diagnosis of cancer.