Project Name: Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland Breast Cancer Service Transformation & Improvement Project

Project Summary:

The project is a collaborative working project between Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Limited and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust to improve the breast cancer service.

The main objective of the project is to improve the quality, consistency and equity of care delivered to MBC patients through establishing a dedicated MBC MDT in line with NICE Quality Standard 12 and NICE Advanced Breast Cancer Clinical Guidelines.  The project aims to address the rising incidence and poor outcomes of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in the UK, especially among women of minority ethnic background and lower socioeconomic status. 

The project aims to address the above challenges by further improving and strengthening the Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland (LLR) breast cancer service through:

  • The undertaking of a complimentary Reimagining Care Pathways (RCP) service mapping, to demonstrate a baseline and ensure wider efficiencies, improvements and areas of challenge are duly considered as this service transformation is undertaken to help create a stronger sustainable BC service overall, now and for the future.
  • Establishing a dedicated metastatic breast cancer (“MBC”) multidisciplinary team (“MDT”) at UHL with development of the following MBC service resource and capabilities:
  • Creation of a Band 4 MBC care navigator for eighteen month (part time)
  • Development of a MBC database acting as a MBC registry and data intelligence tool to support co-ordination of care and proactive risk management for patients with advanced disease.
  • Creation of a Band 4 MBC MDT coordinator role for eighteen months

Planned Milestones:

MilestoneDescription
1CW Partner and Novartis: Kick-off meeting
2CW Partner: Submission of baseline data, in line with the Project Outcome Measures & Data Collection table
3

CW Partner: Confirmation of recruitment of.

- MDT coordinator and Cancer care navigator onboarding and trained - completed ready to start clinical activity

CW Partner: Confirmation of clinical and operational pathway, policy and protocol creation for the MDT, and readiness to begin the clinical activity 

4Initiation and completion of Reimagining Care Pathways (Patient Pathway Mapping) exercise
5

CW Partner: Collection & submission of [3] months clinical activity data.

CW Partner and Novartis: Project Review meeting to discuss project progress.

6

CW Partner: Collection & submission of [6] months clinical activity data.

CW Partner and Novartis: Project Review meeting to discuss project progress.

7

CW Partner: Collection & submission of [9] months clinical activity data.

CW Partner and Novartis: Project Review meeting to discuss project progress.

8

CW Partner: Collection & submission of [12] months clinical activity data.

CW Partner and Novartis: Project Review meeting to discuss project progress.

9

CW Partner: Collection & submission of [15] months clinical activity data.

CW Partner and Novartis: Project Review meeting to discuss project progress.

10

CW Partner: Collection & submission of [18] months clinical activity data.

CW Partner and Novartis: Project Review meeting to discuss project progress.

11CW Partner: Development of business case short form submission (Nov – Dec)
12CW Partner: Submission of business case by the CW Partner team to relevant body within the NHS Board (Jan)
13CW Partner: Submit final CWP report and outcomes summary to Novartis within 2months completion of the clinical work.

Expected Benefits:

ANTICIPATED BENEFITS FOR PATIENTS

  • Increased access to equitable, consistent, and standardised care  
  • Enhanced experience for patients and their carers who live with a breast cancer diagnosis. 
  • Increased opportunity to have a personalised care and support plan helping patients to address their concerns.
  • Increased understanding of the patients' needs by the NHS team

ANTICIPATED BENEFITS FOR THE ORGANISATION(S)

  • Increase the overall quality of care and improve equity of access to specialist care for patients with MBC requiring treatment initiation, evaluation, and monitoring. 
  • Improved understanding of the current service pathway, and associated efficiencies and inefficiencies. Potential to lead to solutions which could allow the CW Partner’s organisation to enhance both patient experience and outcomes.
  • Free up consultant capacity for clinical activities that are unique to their skillset.  
  • Reduction in waiting list times.
  • Enhanced organisational reputation

ANTICIPATED BENEFITS FOR NOVARTIS

  • Better understanding of overall customers’ and patients’ needs.
  • Optimal use of medicines in line with local/national guidance  in appropriate patients.
  • Ethical, professional, and transparent relationship between Novartis and the Healthcare Organisations 

Project Duration: 24 months (including 18 months clinical activity)

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