New good practice guide for primary care cancer services cancer services, UK

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 17 Aug 2004 - 17:00 PDT

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UK - A new 'Good Practice Guide' for Primary Care Cancer Services has been launched this month for GPs, primary health care teams, Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and local cancer networks. The Guide has been designed as a toolkit to support health professionals in delivering high quality cancer care within primary care, and to provide a foundation on which to build national standards.

Developed by Macmillan Cancer Relief, the Cancer Services Collaborative 'Improvement Partnership' (CSC'IP') and the National Cancer Action Team, the Guide is based on good practice derived from CSC'IP' primary care pilot projects and Macmillan local primary care standards pilot projects. The views of primary care professionals and patients and carers are also reflected.

The Guide includes:

-- Good practice guidelines and examples where change has been implemented

-- A useful directory of contacts

-- A self-assessment tool to enable PCTs to self-assess their practice in the provision of cancer services and assist teams to develop their services in line with national standards

-- Seven topic areas identified to be the core functions of primary care within the cancer patient's journey including: health promotion, screening, prompt recognition of cancer, co-ordination and continuity of care, ongoing support for patients, management of patients with advanced disease and care and support for families and carers.

Also reflected in the Guide are the recommendations presented in the NICE Supportive and Palliative Care Guidance 2004 and the quality enhanced payments for cancer laid down in the GMS contract 2003.

Glynn Purland, Head of Policy and Development, Macmillan Cancer Relief, said, 'Until recently there has been lack of clarity about what constitutes good practice in relation to primary care and cancer. The Good Practice Guide brings together the current experience of leaders in the field, including a number of Macmillan GPs from across England, patients and carers and will help support the delivery of consistently high quality cancer care to those who need it most.'

The Guide is available in two versions: an executive summary, and a full version, which consists of a set of good practice guidelines and examples across the patient pathway, a directory of contacts and a self-assessment tool. The Guide is aimed at primary health care teams but can also be used at the PCT and network level to shape and drive forward the vision for primary care services locally.

The executive summary and full version is available free from Macmillan Cancer Relief on 0808 808 2020 or can be accessed at http://www.modern.nhs.uk/cancer/primarycare - suggested templates to support the examples contained within the Guide are also available on the website and can be downloaded and customised locally.

For more information, please contact Nicola Ryan, Press Office, Macmillan Cancer Relief, 020 7840 4689 (out of hours 07801 307068) or email: nryan@macmillan.org.uk

Macmillan Cancer Relief