Project Name: Novartis Re-imagining Care Pathways Collaborative Working Project (“NRCP CWP”) Southern Health & Social Care Trust - Breast Cancer Service

Project Summary:

The Reimagining Care Pathways CWP is a service offered by Novartis, which comprises a series of workshops, with the aim of providing pathway mapping support to the CW Partner (healthcare and service teams) to:

  1. Improve efficiency and service effectiveness for the benefit of patient care.
  2. Address the local challenges they face in the delivery of patient care.

The programme facilitates area teams (Trust or ICS) identify areas for efficiency within their Breast Cancer service for prioritisation. The programme will be carried out in a number of different institutions. The service is facilitated by the Novartis Solutions Implementation Manager (SIM) Team.

Expected Benefits:

Anticipated benefits for Patients 

  • Improvement of clinical pathways which may result in potentially fewer visits and shorter waiting times due to a more efficient clinical pathway
  • Faster and more equitable access to the complete range of NICE approved treatment options.
  • Quality care improvements aligned to established best practices  

Anticipated benefits for the Organisation

  • 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.

Anticipated benefits for Novartis

  • Understanding of possible opportunities to partner with the CW Partner to enhance patient outcomes and experience. Better understanding of patients,’ carers and customers’ needs, which may inform future service offerings, and synergies between needs of the customer and value of Novartis offerings

Start Date & Duration: May 2025, 14 weeks

FA-11427743

Project Name: Novartis Re-imagining Care Pathways Collaborative Working Project (“NRCP CWP”)

Organisation(s): Southern Health & Social Care Trust, 68 Lurgan Road, Portadown, Craigavon, BT63 5QQ (the “CW Partner”)

Completion Date: 11th December 2025

Outcomes Summary: 

The key priorities for this project were to identify areas for improvement within the Southern Health & Social Care Trust Breast Cancer Service to identify pinch-points in the patient pathway and to highlight inefficiencies and identify areas for best practice.

Key Project Outcomes Data: 

A report and pathway map were developed in collaboration with the CW Partner, highlighting the following:

  1. A strengthened understanding of the current service pathway, helping to identify potential opportunities to enhance patient experience and outcomes.
  2. Exploration of nurse led clinics within the service, to enhance the patient experience which may alleviate pressure on the SACT clinic.
  3. The need for equitable key worker support for Breast Oncology patients, especially patients with a secondary breast cancer diagnosis.

Outcomes: 

3 key areas of need were identified;

  1. Supporting the transition of patients from surgical to oncology care is essential to ensuring continuity and quality of care. This includes providing a dedicated Breast Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) to act as a key worker, offering consistent guidance, coordination, and emotional support for patients as they move into the Oncology setting.
  2. Increasing the number of nurse-led clinics within the service could help ease capacity pressures in the SACT clinic. This would not only enhance timely access to specialist support but also ensure patients receive appropriate, holistic care from the most suitable clinical teams.
  3. Improving the delivery of electronic Health Needs Assessment (eHNAs) for all breast cancer patients should be a key priority, as consistent completion and timely follow-up of these assessments are essential for identifying individual needs and ensuring that patients receive the appropriate physical, emotional, and practical support throughout their treatment journey.

Quote from Partner: 

Quote from Nicola Shannon, Lead Nurse Cancer services:

“This collaborative project with Novartis has provided an opportunity for the teams involved in the delivery of Breast care services to identify delays in the current pathway and work together to explore more efficient ways of working taking on board patient feedback in relation to information and support gaps. We look forward to working with Novartis to streamline the pathway for both Primary and Secondary breast cancer patients and to introduce new oncology nursing roles to ensure an equitable and seamless service for all our patients.”

Conclusion: 

The delivery of this project offered a real-time snapshot of the current Breast Cancer Pathway within the Southern Health & Social Care Trust.

By identifying key pinch points and areas for improvement, the findings will help shape recommendations to enhance efficiency and overall patient experience. The project also highlighted existing best practices and opportunities for wider adoption. The insights gathered have informed a collaborative working initiative where Novartis may be able to provide further support.

FA-11622113 | March 2026