Maggie’s Lanarkshire at Monklands Hospital was the venue for a learning event on new cancer care reviews that are led by practice nurses.

The project is part of the Transforming Care After Treatment (TCAT) programme, a £5m initiative funded by Macmillan Cancer Support and supported by the Scottish Government, the NHS and local authorities.

Vicki Trim, TCAT Macmillan project manager, said: “Traditionally, GPs carry out cancer reviews within six months of a person receiving a diagnosis but increasingly cancer is being likened to a long-term condition and practice nurses also have the skillset to deliver effective needs assessments.”

Nine GP practices are now:

• Adopting person-centred approaches to conduct a cancer review;
• Using all clinicians depending on the complexity and need of the person;
• Sending out a concerns checklist before appointments to allow the patient time to think about what is important to them and what they would like to discuss.

Vicki added: “People say this approach allows them time to think about the practical issues, lifestyle advice, relationship and financial concerns that they might not have asked about before.

“They can then be made aware of the great range of community and voluntary support services that are available so that no one faces cancer alone.”