Patient Safety Awards 2016: Cancer Care

Winners: East Lancashire CCG and Blackburn with Darwen CCG

Pennine Lancashire Cancer Local Improvement Scheme has dared to think big on cancer. With leadership from Macmillan GP Dr Neil Smith and commissioning manager Lynn Scott, they want to improve services, treatment and care at all stages of the cancer journey.

The cancer LIS now has long term funding and new challenges for 2016 onwards

Work started in 2014 with stakeholders from Clinical Commissioning Groups, acute care and academia and already there are significant improvements to show for it. For example, all 89 GP practices in the patch now have a lead cancer GP, nurse and administrator and practice nurses have received training.

Two-week pathways have been refined and a significant event analysis has considered the lessons to be learned from 179 cancer diagnoses made in the ED.

The cancer LIS now has long term funding and new challenges for 2016 onwards.

The judges said: “This is a great example of partnership working and clinical collaboration that is grounded in patient participation and delivered with passion.”