Implementing the guidance
6.7 A consistent theme in the Improving Outcomes guidance is that cancer services are best provided by teams of clinicians - doctors, nurses, radiographers and other specialists - who work together effectively.
Team working brings together staff with the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to ensure high quality diagnosis, treatment and care. It also improves the co-ordination and continuity of care for patients.
6.8 For common cancers, such as breast cancer, patients treated by specialist teams are more likely to survive. For the less common cancers - stomach, pancreas and ovarian cancers - patients who are treated in hospitals that care for larger numbers of patients with that condition are likely to do better.
6.9 Progress has been made in establishing specialist teams for the most common cancers - for breast, colorectal and lung cancers - and also for children's cancers. This has been facilitated by the provision of targeted funding for each cancer type.
6.10 We now need to establish teams across the country for other cancer types as guidance becomes available. The additional resources being made available for cancer services over the next three years will mean we can make much more substantial progress than in the past. However, there will still be constraints until the planned increases in the numbers of clinicians and other essential team members are realised.
6.11 The care of all patients with cancer should be formally reviewed by a specialist team. This will be done either through direct assessment or through formal discussion with the team by the responsible clinician. This will help ensure that all patients have the benefit of the range of expert advice needed for high quality care. The service delivery plans to be prepared by cancer networks (see Chapter 11) should set out a timetable for the achievement of this standard.
