Cancer Services Collaborative Improvement Partnership

Introduction

How to Use the Guide

Top Twelve Challenges

All Resources/Case Studies
Challenges:
1. Do MDT meetings work?
2. Does your MDT have a suitable environment in which to meet?
3. Does your MDT have an operational policy in place, which is reviewed annually and distributed to all members of the team?
4. Are you able to discuss al patients at your MDT meeting?
5. How can you improve communication by using the MDT meeting?
6. Are the key members of the team, as described in the Manual of Cancer Standards, able to attend the meetings?
7. Do you have protocols and proformas for recording discussions, decisions, and treatment plans for each patient?
8. Why do you need an MDT meeting co-ordinator?
9. Should the MDT meeting be used to facilitate data collection and audit?
10. Can the MDT meeting be used to facilitate entry into clinical trials?
11. How does your MDT involve patients?
12. How can we integrate Service Improvement?

11. How does your MDT involve patients?

Patient opinion is key to improving the service provided by the MDT. Their views on all parts of the pathway should be taken into consideration and action taken by the team. Information should be provided for patients about:

Local services and treatment options.
Information about self help and support groups.
Information about psychological, social and spiritual support.
Information should be able to be understood by all patients, including those whose first language is not English.
Plain English Campaign Website - http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/medicalguide.html.

Some ways of providing access to information are:

Network Cancer Directories
Network websites
Information officers

Assistance with patient surveys and examples of patient information can be obtained from the Cancer Services Collaborative Improvement Partnership patient experience team. www.modern.nhs.uk/cancer.

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