National Peer Review Reports - YCN The Yorkshire Cancer Network final peer review report has been publised by the North Zone Peer Review Team The report can be downloaded from here: YCN Peer Review Report news item published here Tuesday 13th July 2010 National End of Life Care Intelligence Network Commissioned by the National End of Life Care Programme (NEoLCP), the National End of Life Care Intelligence Network (NEoLCIN) will provide commissioners and providers with a firm evidence base for the delivery of high quality services for dying people and their loved ones. It will also provide a central resource for those researching end of life care in England. The material on the website currently includes End of Life Care Profiles down to local authority areas. Over the coming weeks analytical reports and other material will be added to the website, which has been developed by the South West Public Health Observatory. As well as centralising existing data from sources such as Hospital Episode Statistics and the Office for National Statistics, the network will commission its own information-gathering work where gaps are identified. It will work closely with the National Cancer Intelligence Network. If you have any feedback on the website, please email the NEoLCIN team - info@endoflifecare-intelligence.org.uk news item published here Friday 21st May 2010 YCN PCT Profiles & Baseline Assessments Lung, Breast, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer The PCT profiles present in one document information at PCT level relating to cancer prevention, raising awareness and early diagnosis including cancer screening data, and lifestyle factors; incidence, mortality and survival; and treatment data as well as some basic PCT/Network specific demographic information such as population size and projections, life expectancy, deprivation, and ethnic mix. The profiles are made using the most up to date information available, from routinely available data sources including the cancer registry, the Health Survey for England, the cancer commissioning toolkit, the Department of Health and the Information Centre for Health and Social Care. We welcome feedback on any aspect of these profiles in order that they can be improved for future iterations. news item published here Tuesday 27 April 2010 National Cancer Patients' Experience Survey Programme 2010 This letter informs that the Review of Central Returns Steering Committee (ROCR) have approved a national survey of cancer patients' experiences in all Trusts who offer adult acute cancer services. This survey is highlighted as a priority in the NHS Operating Framework 2010/11, section 2.24. news item published here Thursday 10th March 2010 A smokefree future: a comprehensive tobacco control strategy for England This new tobacco control strategy for England establishes a vision of eradicating tobacco harms and creating a smokefree future, so that we can support people to live healthier and longer lives. The strategy follows on from a successful public consultation in 2008 on the future of tobacco control, which drew nearly 100,000 individual responses. To deliver this vision, the strategy sets out three overarching objectives to make significant progress towards a smokefree society: 1. To stop the inflow of young people recruited as smokers. 2. To motivate and assist every smoker to quit. 3. To protect families and communities. Against each objective, we are setting an aspiration of what could be achieved by 2020, including halving the numbers of adult smokers to just one in ten, and reducing the number of children who take up smoking to negligible levels. Delivering these aspirations will maintain England’s position as a world leader in tobacco control but can only be achieved if all partners across the public, private and voluntary sectors continue to prioritise tobacco control and implement the evidence-based policies set out in this strategy. news item published here Monday 1st February 2010 National Cancer Survivorship Initiative (NCSI) vision The vision document provides an update on the first year of the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative (NCSI), which was announced in the Cancer Reform Strategy (2007) and formally launched in September 2008. The document describes the emerging vision for improved care and support for people living with and beyond cancer, and brings together the work of service users, carers, clinicians, commissioners, charities and researchers. The NCSI is a partnership between the Department of Health and Macmillan Cancer Support with support from NHS Improvement. news item published here Wednesday 20th January 2010 Leeds Radiotherapy Waiting Times: December 2009 Current waiting times for radiotherapy in Leeds are: Emergency - no wait Urgent - 12 days Routine - 28 days Occasionally due to the complexity of treatment planning the wait may be slightly longer. Please contact the radiotherapy department on 0113 2068940 if you have any waiting time queries. These waiting times will be updated on a monthly basis and any changes will be posted here. news item published here Monday 11th January 2010 You are invited to a Radiotherapy Open Evening The aim of the Open Evening is to ease any worries you may have about your radiotherapy treatment. We will explain about: How radiotherapy works; Planning your treatment; Visit a CT simulator and radiotherapy machine. The visit will last about 1˝ hours and will include refreshments. You will also have a chance to ask questions and meet some of the radiotherapy team. Many people have found this visit very helpful as they prepare for their radiotherapy. Open evenings are held on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6.30pm. If you would like to attend please contact: Phil Mitchell, Information Co-ordinator on: 0113 206 7603 or email: philip.mitchell@leedsth.nhs.uk Unfortunately we are not able to provide hospital transport for open evenings. news item published here 22 December 2009 Diagnosing Cancer Earlier: Evidence for a National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative The BJC supplement, ‘Diagnosing Cancer Earlier: Evidence for a National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative’, brings together evidence underpinning NAEDI, including some of the work presented at the launch conference in November 2008. Further details at http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v101/n2s/index.html For more information about NAEDI, please visit http://www.naedi.org.uk/ news item published here Thursday 10 December 2009 Cancer Reform Strategy - 2nd Annual Report In the second annual report of the Cancer Reform Strategy, Professor Mike Richards, the National Cancer Director, sets out the progress made in implementing the strategy since its publication in December 2007. As with the first annual report, this report covers a wide range of actions that were set out in the strategy, highlighting areas of particular progress and setting out a range of priorities for the future. This report also provides detailed information on meeting local progress, especially regarding standards which should now have been met. news item published here Tuesday 1st December 2009 Leeds Radiotherapy Waiting Times: October 2009 Current waiting times for radiotherapy in Leeds are: Emergency - no wait Urgent - average of 15 days Routine - average of 28 days Overall Average - 14 days Occasionally due to the complexity of treatment planning the wait may be slightly longer. Please contact the radiotherapy department on 0113 2068940 if you have any waiting time queries. These waiting times will be updated on a monthly basis and any changes will be posted here. news item published here Wednesday 8th July 2009 MDT Development Survey - Report of Findings A report summarising the views on MDT working of over 2000 members of cancer multidisciplinary teams has been published. It is available here MDT Development Survey - Report of Findings The findings will inform a programme of work by NCAT to support MDT development including the production of an MDT toolkit and a DVD on MDT working plus piloting different approaches to self assessment, feedback and support for MDTs. news item published here Thursday 29 October, 2009 Chemotherapy Services in England: Ensuring quality and safety The final report from the National Chemotherapy Advisory Group takes account of the responses received during the consultation period. The report aims to bring about a step change in the quality and safety of chemotherapy services for adult patients with either solid cancers or haematological malignancies and many of the recommendations are applicable in the care of children and young people. It highlights the need to improve both elective chemotherapy services and acute oncology services. The Department of Health welcomes the recommendations set out in this report. Download Chemotherapy Services in England: Ensuring quality and safety (PDF, 1587K) Download Impact Assessment (PDF, 856K) Download Equality Impact Assessment (PDF, 72K news item published here Friday 21st August 2009 Revised Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme materials In March 2009, new research published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed for the first time that screening for prostate cancer could save lives, although overtreatment remains an issue. In light of this research, the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme (PCRMP) has revised its resource pack for primary care to help advise men without any symptoms of prostate cancer, who are considering a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test. Men can have the test free on the NHS, provided they have made an informed choice based on the PCRMP materials and following a GP consultation. The revised packs will be distributed to GPs over the summer. Letter from Chief Medical Officer Prostate Cancer Risk Management: UK Information Pack news item published here Wednesday 29th July 2009 Leeds Radiotherapy Waiting Times: June 2009 Current waiting times for radiotherapy in Leeds are: Emergency - no wait Urgent - average of 9 days Routine - average of 21 days Overall Average - 10 days Occasionally due to the complexity of treatment planning the wait may be slightly longer. Please contact the radiotherapy department on 0113 2068940 if you have any waiting time queries. These waiting times will be updated on a monthly basis and any changes will be posted here. news item published here Wednesday 8th July 2009 NICE Early and Locally Advanced Breast Cancer Guidelines The advice in this guideline covers: some of the tests and treatments that patients with early and locally advanced breast cancer should be offered, in particular: reducing the amount of surgery under your arm breast reconstruction when breast conservation is not possible chemotherapy and endocrine treatments biological treatments It does not specifically look at: the care of patients with advanced breast cancer or those with rare or non-cancerous tumours of the breast the care of people who do not have breast cancer themselves but have a family history of the disease. NICE has produced separate advice for the care of patients with advanced breast cancer and people who have a family history of the disease. news item published here Monday 2 March 2009 NICE Advanced Breast Cancer Guidelines This guidance updates and replaces NICE technology appraisal guidance 63 (published May 2003), 54 (published December 2002) and 30 (published September 2001). The advice in the NICE guideline describes the tests, treatment, care and support that patients with advanced breast cancer should be offered. It does not specifically describe the care of patients with early breast cancer or those with rare or non-cancerous tumours of the breast. news item published here Monday 2 March 2009