Trust hits tough two-month targets for Cancer treatments
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust is hitting tough two-month waiting time targets for cancer treatments – just 12 months after many were failing to hit the mark.
The Trust has been above the national average for the last six months for the percentage of patients receiving their first treatment within 62 days of an urgent G.P. referral. And it is hoped they will be above the nationally set target of 85 per cent for 2011-12 as a whole once figures are available for the full financial year.
Individual teams are also faring well, with 100 per cent of head and neck patients getting their first treatment within the two month timeframe since last June – well above the national average. Lung, urology and colorectal teams have also performed well in recent months.
It is a contrast to 2010-11 when 77.85 per cent were treated within 62-days of referral overall. Staff are being praised for the way they have identified the problems and dramatically improved performance.
James Owen, Cancer Information Manager, said: “As a Trust last year we were really struggling to achieve targets, especially the 62-day wait target. For the last six months overall we’ve been over the national target of 85 per cent and we’re hoping that once the figures are available for the full financial year we’ll be above the threshold overall for the last 12 months.
“Individual teams have also done well. For example, for lung cancer in April last year 33 per cent of patients were being seen within the 62-day wait time. Due to the work of the lung team in their area that shot up to 90 per cent in January.”
An escalation policy was also brought in last May which staff have been working hard to meet to ensure that patients who have been waiting a long time are identified and dealt with quickly.
A lot of work has gone on in clinical areas, resulting in some service improvements. Teams spent time identifying what the problems were and why national targets were not being met.
Angie Bailey, Service Improvement Facilitator for Cancer Services, said: “Some Clinical teams have held ‘around the table’ talks, looking at the patient pathway from G.P. referral to treatment. The teams identified which steps benefit the patient and add value to the pathway. The outcome was a more streamlined patient pathway.”
Dr Narayanan Srihari, Value Stream Lead for Cancer Care, said: “I want to thank the cancer trackers for their tireless efforts to keep teams focused and the Multi-disciplinary Team (MDT) clinical leads for their enthusiasm and leadership.”
