Our Programmes

Prevention, Awareness and Screening

The Prevention, Awareness and Screening Programme aims to improve awareness of signs and symptoms of cancer and increase uptake of cancer screening programmes in NEL.

Working with patients and our partners in the NEL CCGs, local boroughs, general practice, community organisations and charities, the NEL Cancer Alliance supports initiatives to help our local community understand the importance of participating in the bowel, breast and cervical screening programmes, when invited.

Together with projects to raise awareness of possible signs and symptoms of cancer, screening programmes are valuable in supporting early diagnosis of cancer, when treatment is likely to be less invasive and more effective.

 

Diagnosis

We are working with local hospitals to improve patient experience and deliver an earlier diagnosis, as catching cancer early is key. To achieve this, we are:

  • Working with hospitals to increase capacity, and reduce waiting times in areas such as endoscopy
  • Implementing the Rapid Diagnostic Centres (RDC) model in North East London – a service which provides a personalised, accurate and rapid diagnosis for patients, by bringing together clinical specialist expertise and diagnostic tests into a single clinic
  • Implementing the new Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS), which aims to ensure that all patients who are referred for the investigation of suspected cancer find out, within 28 days, if they do or do not have a cancer diagnosis
  • Opening the Early Diagnosis Centre at Mile End Hospital, which will create additional capacity in Ultrasound, Endoscopy and MRI
  • Implementing timed pathways in specific tumour sites (colorectal, lung, prostate, and oesophago-gastric), in line with NHS England guidance
  • Increasing the availability of diagnostic tests that GPs are able to access directly, without referring patients to a hospital specialist, in line with NICE guidelines (NG12)

 

Treatment

We are working across north east London to provide consistent high quality cancer treatment for local people.

Our main cancer centres are;

 

 Personalised Care

We are working across north east London to provide consistent high quality Personalised Care for local people affected by cancer.

Our main focus is to deliver the NHS Long-term plan ambition for roll out of Personalised Care Interventions (previously called the Recovery Package), Personalised Stratified Follow-Up and improving Patient Experience and Patient Engagement.

We also have separate work programmes on Psychosocial support and Lymphoedema Care.

 

Updated: 02/03/2021