Project Name: Royal Marsden Breast Cancer Capacity Service Redesign

Project Summary:

The Collaborative Working Project (CWP) aims to free up capacity within the breast cancer pathway with the addition of a dedicated new role (the “Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy Lead Advanced Clinical Practitioner (SACT LACP)”) providing pre-treatment education and optimisation, and support for the management, pre-assessment, review, education, and follow-up of metastatic breast cancer (mBC) patients who are eligible for Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (“SACT”) therapies.  There is a national attention on the stability of breast oncology services and an urgent need to pilot new workforce options and ways of working to manage increasing demand. Demand is increasing at an unprecedented rate within breast oncology services at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust (RMFT). 

Specifically, by using established Process Mapping methodologies1 to integrate the new workforce role into all aspects of the service, the CWP aims to: 

  • Improve patient outcomes and experience by having a dedicated single point of patient contact to educate patients in relation to the available SACT options in the UK and conduct the relevant monitoring required e.g., blood glucose, ECG monitoring, respiratory monitoring, cardiac function. At present, SACT therapies which require these monitoring could potentially be delayed because of the service implications.
  • Provide a single point of contact to the wider clinical team to educate and provide ongoing advice and guidance so that all NICE approved treatment options are available to the patient.
  • Decrease the clinic burden on the current workforce and increase their satisfaction, reducing the risk of workforce burnout.
  • Optimise the proportion of duties performed by each healthcare professional (HCP) that are most appropriate to their skillset.
  • Gather relevant service metrics to develop a business case for the ongoing employment of the new workforce role beyond the scope of this project.
  • Reduce unplanned medical reviews and admissions.
     

Planned Milestones:

Milestone                Description
 
1Kick off meeting
2

Confirmation from the CWP of the employment of SACT LACP; on-boarding and familiarization. 

Complete collection of baseline aggregate comparator data 

3

Novartis Solution Implementation Manager* and Professional Relations Manager to conduct Pathway Mapping Workshop 

4

Carry out 3 months of clinical operations according to the developed protocols.

5

Carry out 6 months of clinical operations according to the developed protocols.

Develop business case to support future funding by the CWP to continue with the service

6

Carry out 9 months of clinical operations according to the developed protocols.

7

Carry out 12 months of clinical operations according to the developed protocols.

Submit business case to support future funding by the RM to continue with the service

8

Submit final CWP report to Novartis.

Within 2 months of completion of clinical activity the CWP, in collaboration with Novartis, is to develop the outcomes 
summary for publishing in line with the ABPI guidelines


*Solutions Implementation Manager is a non-promotional role within Novartis 

Expected Benefits:

Anticipated benefits for patients:

  • Increased access to equitable, consistent, and standardised care 
  • Increased access to education on mBC and treatments to improve adherence and consequently improve patients' outcomes, supported by a personalised care plan. 
  • Reduce patient waits in the clinic given extra capacity created by new workforce role.
  • Reduce unplanned medical reviews and admissions.

Anticipated benefits for the CW Partner:

  • Increase the overall quality of care and improve equity of access to specialist care for patients with mBC requiring treatment initiation, evaluation, and monitoring.
  • Provision of subject matter expertise to educate other members of the clinical team on treatment options.
  • Provide a single point of contact for patients, thereby reducing the potential for unplanned calls being received by the wider clinical team.
  • Free up consultant capacity for clinical activities that are unique to their skillset.
  • Reduce use of emergency triage line and unplanned admissions
  • CWP would highlight RM as an exemplar.

Anticipated benefits for Novartis:

  • Better understanding of overall HCP and patient needs
  • Optimal use of medicines in line with local/national guidance (including Novartis medicines) in appropriate patients

Ethical, professional, and transparent relationship between Novartis and the Healthcare Organisations

Start Date & Duration: November 2023 for 18 months

UK2311298817