Shaping cancer services
4.8 Primary Care Groups and Trusts (PCTs) offer new opportunities to improve and shape the delivery of cancer services for patients in the community.
Through PCTs, primary care will play a central role in the new cancer networks that are being established to plan the strategic commissioning and provision of cancer services. (See Chapter 11).
4.9 Involvement of GPs in cancer networks requires dedicated time and commitment. Macmillan Cancer Relief has piloted the role of primary care lead clinicians for cancer. This has brought benefits both to patients and to primary care teams.
4.10 Building on this experience, the Department of Health and Macmillan Cancer Relief will together invest a total of £3 million each year for the appointment of a lead clinician for cancer within each PCT. This funding will enable the lead clinician to have dedicated time to contribute to the development of cancer networks and to raise standards of cancer care within the PCT. This will improve communication and understanding across primary, secondary and tertiary care, leading to better co-ordination of care for patients.
