Download Cancer strategy

Patient outcomes
While survival is the most important outcome
for patients, quality of life, including mental
health, physical wellbeing, and their
experience of healthcare is also extremely
important. All of these needs continue
throughout and beyond the experience of
cancer and the services we offer to help
patients adjust to a new phase of their life.
Developing excellence in our workforce
There is a clear link between satisfied
patients and satisfied staff. We ensure that
our staff at UCLH are caring and
compassionate, and have a wide range of
clinical expertise.
We are working with charities where they
can provide specific services, extra money
and expertise. For example, we work with
Cancer Research UK on research studies
and Macmillan Cancer Support on patient
wellbeing. We have launched our own UCLH
Cancer Fund to help pay for some extra
services not currently provided by the NHS.
If you would like this document in another
language or format, or require the services
of an interpreter, contact us on 020 3447
8663. We will do our best to meet your
needs.
Patient Advice and Liaison Service
(PALS)
PALS is a patient-friendly, easy-to-access
service designed to provide a personal
contact point to assist patients, relatives and
carers. If you have a problem that you have
been unable to resolve, PALS can help you.
The University College Hospitals PALS
office is located on the ground floor of the
main hospital building and is open from
09:00 – 16:00, Monday to Friday.
Telephone: 020 3447 3042
Email: [email protected]
Contact details
University College Hospital
235 Euston Road, London NW1 2BU
Switchboard: 020 3456 7890 or 0845 155 500
Website: www.uclh.nhs.uk
“Very happy with all my treatment and
helpfulness of the staff”
Patient comment, 2015.
Publication date:
September 2016
Last review date:
September 2016
Next review date:
September 2018
Leaflet code:
UCLH/S&C/CD/CS/1
© University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Cancer Services
Cancer strategy:
Information for
patients
Introduction
University College London Hospital (UCLH)
NHS Foundation Trust has developed a
Cancer Strategy for 2015 to 2020. This
leaflet is a summary. If you would like to see
the full strategy please visit:
www.uclh.nhs.uk/cancerstrategy
How are we changing cancer care
in North and East London?
UCLH is at the forefront of cancer care. We
have new developments, such as Proton
Beam Therapy, two new state of the art
buildings for cancer patients, and we are
investing in new and exciting technology in
radiotherapy.
As a Vanguard site, we work together with
other trusts to develop new ways to improve
patient care. We have set up six
programmes of work to help us achieve this:
1. Development of precision cancer
medicine: It is our vision that within five
years, every patient will have their own
personalised treatment plan from their first
diagnosis of cancer.
4. New models of care: We will provide our
services in new ways which are more flexible
and better value for money. This will improve
outcomes, treatment and experience for
patients. For example, we will work with other
hospitals and GPs to provide chemotherapy
in GP surgeries. This will make it easier for
many people and help improve their
experience during challenging treatment.
5. Improving early diagnosis is the single
most important factor in the survival of
cancer patients. We will invest in more
diagnostic tests, providing new equipment
and specialist staff. All these developments
will involve local hospitals to make sure all
patients can access our expertise and be
treated sooner.
6. The Centre for Cancer Outcomes will
allow us to measure how well we are doing
and aim to reach the standards of the best
cancer care in the world. To do this we will
collect and analyse data to improve care and
keep clinicians up to date. This will help us to
improve patient care, outcomes, and overall
performance.
Patient experience
UCLH has three priority areas to improve
patient experience:
1. Reducing clinic waiting times, especially
in outpatients and chemotherapy.
2. Better communication with patients and
their support network.
3. Developing better communication
between hospital staff.
We will achieve this through communication
skills training, so that all staff develop the
skills to communicate well with patients and
each other.
We will also ensure all patients have access
to a clinical nurse specialist who has the skills
to assess their needs fully. The needs for this
support are tailored to each patient, and a
specific assessment called a “holistic needs
assessment” will be an on-going part of every
patient’s pathway of care. We have
supportive care services which provide
psychological, social, and practical support
from diagnosis through to survivorship, or end
of life care.
2. A new Cancer Academy will provide
education, training and support for all our
staff. We will also develop new cancer
information programmes to offer patients
ways to live well with a diagnosis of cancer.
Developing a centre of excellence
To help us understand the needs of patients
and the public, we have a Cancer Patient and
Public Advisory Group which brings other
views and feedback through the group.
3. London Cancer: We will be working with
patients, local hospitals, GPs and
community services so that patients have
quicker, more direct access to diagnostic
tests and advice as close to home as
possible. We will improve the continuity of
your care between hospitals.
Research
University College London (UCL) and UCLH
are committed to delivering world class
cancer research. This is reflected in
international rankings placing UCL among
the top five universities in the world.
“My experience could not be better,
always greeted with a lovely smile.”
We will support these six programmes in four
areas: research, improving patient
experience, improving patient outcomes and
developing excellence in our workforce:
Patient comment, 2016.