Quality improvement is the science of continuous, data driven change focused on improving safety, quality and outcomes in healthcare services.
The Northern Radiotherapy Network is committed to using a quality improvement approach to improving radiotherapy services across the region.
Central to all our work is patient and stakeholder engagement. We regularly consult with patients and their families to seek feedback on the services provided across the network which helps to drive improvements.
We will publish data from all our improvement projects here. Keep checking back for updates.
Click the buttons below to find more information about the network's quality improvement projects.
Radiotherapy Team Celebrates QI Project Completion!
Over the past 6 months, a multi-disciplinary quality improvement team at NCCC have been working on the re-plan pathway.
Radiotherapy treatments usually take between one to 6 weeks and patients may experience anatomical changes during this time, such as weight, tumour changes or difficulty with bladder filling. When these changes are significant, adapting the treatment plan can enhance the quality of care. These adaptive re-plans require collaboration from various staff groups, involving the scheduling of new tasks and efficient communication of patient assessment details. This can add extra urgent workload to already busy schedules. Adaptive re-plans are most effective when implemented without delay, and the goal is to reduce re-plan times to 5 working days by June 2025.
Over 90% of comments from staff surveyed highlighted the need for improved communication; this has become a key focus area. A digital document has been implemented to provide a clear summary of the re-plan request reason. Additionally, the team are trialling a dedicated multi-disciplinary team to track and disseminate information about current re-plans.
Since January 2023, 62 patients have benefited from adaptive re-plans. The team are committed to continuing their learning and improvement while tracking progress toward the 5-day re-plan target.
Well done to the QI Team - James Holt, Ruth Parkin, Karen Pilling, Neil Richmond, Liam Walker, Sam Warren and Tracy Wintle.