Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United Kingdom (UK) and its incidence has increased over the past two decades.1,2 In parallel with rising patient numbers, the rate at which UK cancer waiting time targets are being met has consistently fallen since 2009.3 Furthermore, the average number of new cases of breast cancer in females annually is projected to continue to rise from approximately 61,800 cases in 2023-2025 to approximately 69,900 cases in 2038-2040.2 The increasing demand on cancer services, compounded by the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a significant challenge faced by the National Health Service (NHS).4,5 In order to address such challenges, auditing of cancer services and informed workforce and service planning have been highlighted as essential for the delivery of efficient high-quality care.4,5,6
To support NHS breast cancer services, Pfizer, in collaboration with J&D forecasting and three clinical oncologists, have developed a breast cancer service audit and projection toolkit. The toolkit is designed to support NHS trusts to audit their breast cancer services and use this data to inform current and future service planning and improve patient care. Local data, including staffing numbers and composition, numbers of clinics and patients, stage of breast cancer (early vs metastatic), therapy types, average therapy durations and progression rates, can be used to generate personalised projections of service demand. In turn, the toolkit can analyse this data and propose the number of clinics and specific staff required to deliver this service, and the associated financial cost.
The breast cancer service audit and projection toolkit will consist of:
A digital excel audit tool that will be downloaded and saved onto the local users NHS trust computer. The toolkit has been built to include data analytics outputs and so all data will be processed and stored on the users NHS computer.
Training on the use of the toolkit will initially be provided by a Pfizer healthcare partnership manager. A one-hour formal training session will be provided (on request) by a member of the J&D forecasting team.
As part of the donation, subsequent additional user support is available at request by contacting J&D Forecasting.
All NHS hospital trusts within the UK are eligible to apply for this service donation. There is no limit to the number of trusts to which the toolkit can be provided.
It is important to note that Pfizer will not have access to, nor will Pfizer be privy to, any data collected. Patient confidentiality will be strictly maintained. The toolkit will be downloaded by a member of staff at the respective NHS trust and the toolkit should always kept on an NHS trust computer. No data will be removed from the hospital and once downloaded, the toolkit will remain under the NHS trust’s possession.
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