Key milestone for cancer care

Published: 25 Sep 2024

In September 2024, we were delighted to share the first State of the Nation (SotN) reports from six cancer clinical audits (primary and metastatic breast, ovarian, pancreatic, non-Hodgkin lymphoma & kidney), all of which are part of the National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre (NATCAN). With insights into the care delivered, progress in relation to quality improvement, and recommendations for improvement, these reports are an invaluable resource for anyone involved in cancer healthcare.

“The national cancer audits play an important part in improving care and outcomes for patients”

NATCAN, which was commissioned by HQIP in October 2022, has since published quarterly clinical performance indicators, and held an informative online webinar to share the key messages from their findings, in October 2024. With more than 385,000 new cancer cases and around 167,000 cancer deaths in the UK each year, the national cancer audits play an important part in improving care and outcomes for patients, and these latest releases are a significant milestone for the Centre.

However, there’s an additional important story to tell about the collaborative nature of NATCAN; how, by bringing all the national cancer audits under one ‘umbrella’ organisation, this HQIP-commissioned programme can make the most effective use of the cancer data available and support improvements in the care provided to patients.

“Organising clinical audits in this way creates a critical mass and capacity of experts”

In addition to the latest information on the NATCAN website, you can read ‘An ′umbrella approach′ to audit: sharing, efficiencies and results’, a short article by HQIP which shares more information about this national centre of excellence. In it, we hear from Dr Julie Nossiter, Director of Operations at NATCAN, about the Centre’s aims, how it is unique, and its plans to share more timely and regular reporting. Read in full (page 19).