£1.5m scheme frees up specialist cancer nurses
A scheme in Scotland to give cancer patients a single point of contact (SPoC) throughout their healthcare journey has reportedly helped free up specialist nurses to prioritise complex cases.
The Scottish Government, this week, published an update to its SPoC pilots, which saw £1.5m in funding for the 2024-25 financial given to 12 projects across Scotland.
“The centralised system streamlines communication and allows us to spend more quality time with those who need it most”
Katie Gibson
The SPoC programme aims to give patients a dedicated person or hub to contact for help and support from the point of their referral for cancer tests and beyond.
Health boards have received varying sums of funding for their projects. The largest, by funding, was NHS Lothian’s SPoC phone service based at Edinburgh Western General Hospital.
It received £343,740 in funding and now takes around 2,000 calls per month, using a centralised ‘digital hub’ which allows patients to access information and support about their diagnosis and treatment.
According to the Scottish Government, around 40% of calls have been diverted away from cancer nurse specialists as a result of the scheme, which has given them more time for the most complex calls and cases.
NHS Lothian and Healthcare Improvement Scotland said there had been “high satisfaction” with the service from users.
Katie Gibson, neuroendocrine tumour clinical nurse specialist at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre, said of the scheme in her area: “I’ve seen first-hand how the SPoC service has transformed our ability to care for cancer patients.
“The centralised system streamlines communication and allows us to spend more quality time with those who need it most.
“As a result, patients are aware of who to contact for the support and advice they require from diagnosis, treatment and beyond.”
Other projects have also received significant shares of the £1.5m to improve the ability for cancer patients to get in touch with the health service.
NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lanarkshire received £202,668 to improve digital remote follow-up appointments for prostate cancer patients in western Scotland.
Meanwhile, £270,680 was given to NHS Highland to hire seven cancer support workers to provide “tailored support” throughout the patient journey from diagnostics to treatment.
Various others used the money to hire nursing support staff or cancer co-ordinators to act as single points of contact.
First minister John Swinney spoke positively of the schemes and said they could “free up” capacity for specialist staff.
“We are fully focused on improving cancer survival, and delivering excellent and accessible care is at the core of how we do that,” said Mr Swinney.
“The SPoC service meets requirements identified by boards to deliver improvements in communication and support for patients with navigating cancer care.”
