New care pathway aims to raise awareness of neuroendocrine cancers
Neuroendocrine Cancer UK has published an ideal patient care pathway for nurses and other healthcare professionals for people with neuroendocrine neoplasms
A new care pathway for people with neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) aims to improve outcomes and raise awareness among health professionals of this increasingly common group of cancers.
According to Neuroendocrine Cancer UK about 6,000 people are diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancers in the UK each year and the incidence is rising. Diagnosis can be difficult because symptoms vary depending on which area of the body is affected and because awareness is limited among nurses and doctors.
Often it takes many visits to a GP before a patient’s neuroendocrine neoplasm is identified
More than half of those with NENs are diagnosed at a late stage when care may not be as effective. On average, patients have to visit their GP 11 times before an NEN is identified.
Working with the Health Policy Partnership, Neuroendocrine Cancer UK has now published Neuroendocrine Cancer: an Ideal Patient Care Pathway, which it says will address barriers to quality care.
One of the pathway’s goals is to improve health professionals’ education in NENs so there is greater access across the country to specialist treatment. A neuroendocrine cancer nurse competency framework, produced by Neuroendocrine Cancer UK and accredited by the RCN, also aims to increase the awareness, knowledge and skills of nurses so they can promote and enhance appropriate care.
Pathway sets out to explain current barriers and delays, as well as proposing solutions
Nikie Jervis, a neuroendocrine tumours clinical specialist nurse with Neuroendocrine Cancer UK, said: ‘For those with neuroendocrine cancer, the patient experience is fraught with delays due to barriers in accessing the appropriate diagnostics, treatment and care.
‘This pathway not only sets out to explain what the current barriers and delays are, but also proposes potential solutions through assimilating the pathway into current initiatives and planned programmes of care, acknowledging resource and workforce constraints.’
She added: ‘The report also addresses existing workforce issues including the educational and training opportunities that need to be developed and undertaken to ensure that healthcare professionals, especially nurses, are informed and equipped to provide and maintain high-quality cancer care practice for all cancer patients.’
Further information
Neuroendocrine Cancer: an Ideal Patient Care Pathway
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