Colchester Hospital cancer services probe to be published next month

NHS England has announced the review, being carried out by an incident management team led by its local area team and examining all 14 cancer pathways at the trust, would complete on 27 November and publish a report a few weeks later.

Monitor, the Care Quality Commission, Essex Police, the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group, Essex County Council, Healthwatch Essex and the trust itself are all represented on the team.

The terms of reference for the review are attached (see right).

It follows the CQC announcing cancer patients may have suffered undue delays in treatment and inaccuracies in the trust’s waiting time data relating to cancer treatment.

NHS England Essex Area Team director Andrew Pike, who is chairing the incident management team, said: “NHS England, working with its partners in the incident management team, is determined to do everything it can to help rebuild public confidence in cancer services at Colchester Hospital Trust.

“Patients need to know that cancer services are safe today, will be safe tomorrow and if they weren’t safe in the past, that everything is being done to rapidly put things right and provide on-going support.”

The trust is also to be scrutinised by Monitor, after the health sector regulator placed it in special measures.

HSJ revealed last week that the Royal College of Nursing has received correspondence from its members suggesting the trust’s problems could stretch beyond its oncology department.

The RCN is taking legal advice before any further action is taken.