Clatterbridge consultant appointed to help lead a specialty review into services for pancreatic cancer patients
Posted 23rd August 2023
Professor Daniel Palmer, consultant in medical oncology at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, has been appointed to help lead a national programme review into services for pancreatic cancer patients.
Prof Palmer, who is also Director of the Liverpool Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) and the University of Liverpool's Chair of Medical Oncology, is one of five clinical leads working with NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme on the new workstream. The Liverpool ECMC is a collaboration between The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool Clinical Trials Centre and scientists and researchers at The University of Liverpool.
GIRFT is supporting the delivery of the Optimal Care Pathway, a Pancreatic Cancer UK-led initiative which has brought together 300 health professionals and people affected to agree on how standards of diagnosis, treatment and care of those with pancreatic cancer and their families can be improved.
The GIRFT review will involve data-driven deep dives at all specialist centres and their referring hospitals in England, identifying their progress against the recommendations in the Optimal Care Pathway. It will highlight actions the NHS providers need to take to improve services, as well as gathering examples of good practice to share with other NHS teams and the NHS England Cancer Programme.
Professor Tim Briggs, GIRFT Chair and National Director of Clinical Improvement and Elective Recovery for NHS England, said: “We know that pancreatic cancer can sometimes be diagnosed late in patients due to the variation in non-specific symptoms. Earlier diagnosis is imperative in improving treatment options and survivorship, so this review has wide-reaching implications for the thousands of people diagnosed with the disease every year.
“I look forward to seeing how this group of experienced clinicians work with our cancer providers to identify any unwarranted variation, share models of good practice and ultimately make a real difference to patient outcomes.”
Pancreatic cancer is the tenth most common cancer in the UK, with around 10,500 people diagnosed every year. It is the deadliest common cancer; over half of people die within three months of diagnosis.
Dr Georgia Papacleovoulou, Health Intelligence and Improvement lead for Pancreatic Cancer UK, said: “This review is a crucial step in better understanding the diagnosis, treatment and care that people with pancreatic cancer in England receive. It will provide invaluable insights and enable us to identify where variations in care exist that will ultimately enable us to transform outcomes for patients.
"The dedication of the clinical specialists leading this important initiative is truly inspiring. We look forward to working with them all to help ensure everyone affected by this devastating disease receives the very best care wherever they live.”
More information about the GIRFT specialty review
