The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust Head and Neck Cancer Team have been shortlisted for a prestigious Health Service Journal (HSJ) Award.
The team are nominated for the incredible work of their One Stop Throat / Virtual Neck Lump Clinic for patients with suspected head and neck cancer.
The cancer clinic improves the referral and diagnostic pathway for suspected head and neck cancer by allowing parallel diagnostic investigations to take place simultaneously; utilising risk assessments via telephone; direct-to-test ultrasound scheme for neck lumps and importantly allows tissue sampling (biopsy) of the throat under local anaesthesia in the outpatient clinic using flexible endoscopy.
These changes allowed the head and neck cancer team to reduce the delays caused by relying on biopsy under general anaesthesia; to decrease the inefficiencies of linear pathways and to match the appropriate staff with high-risk patients in need of rapid diagnostic assessments.
Incredibly, the results of this work have seen the time between referral and definitive decision for cancer treatment reduced by 35% to 34 days.
For this work, the service has been shortlisted at the HSJ Awards in the Modernising Diagnostics category. Congratulations to the team for their tireless work and innovation without which this incredible level of patient care would not have been possible.
Mr Woo-Young Yang, ENT consultant and head and neck surgeon said: “I am so proud of the head and neck cancer team’s achievement, as our work demonstrates that innovation which significantly impacts patient care does not necessarily require large financial investments or complex machines. There are improvements that can be achieved with enthusiastic and committed individuals who think carefully about the challenges our patients face. Our staff are the secret ingredients in our success.”
The HSJ Awards, the UK’s most esteemed celebration of healthcare excellence for the past 45 years, recognise the projects, initiatives, and innovations that are shaping the future of NHS care.
The success of the clinic is also due to the incredible collaborative work across the Trust including the ultrasound booking team, PACS team, ultrasound assistants, ENT admin team, cancer services team and the head and neck pathology team alongside some key individuals who have led the project.
Diane Wake, group chief executive at The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Being shortlisted for a HSJ Award is a fantastic achievement. It reflects the dedication and innovation of our teams in Dudley, who are transforming care through collaboration and prevention. We wish the head and neck cancer team good luck for the awards in November.”
Max Osborne, consultant ENT surgeon said: “We are now consistently one of the highest preforming Trusts for head and neck cancer in the country. People are looking at Dudley to see how it can be applied to their own Trusts to ensure patients receive the right treatment at the right time.”
The HSJ Awards honour individuals and organisations who, despite workforce, financial, and demand pressures, are driving progress, delivering innovation, and improving outcomes to build a stronger, more sustainable NHS. The winners for the HSJ Awards will be announced during a ceremony in London on 20th November.
