The Pancreato-Hepatocellular Cancer Pathway Improvement Project (PHCC PIP) has recently launched across NHS Scotland to help patients with suspected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or pancreatic cancer (PC) receive the diagnostic tests they require more quickly. A prior audit identified delays in investigation and inconsistent communication to be major contributors to adverse patient experience.
This pilot project is an initiative spearheaded by the Scottish HepatoPancreatoBiliary Network (SHPBN) and funded by the Scottish Government. It aims to ensure that patients who have a scan with suspicions of PC or HCC are referred through an accelerated pathway via a National Virtual Cancer Care Team within National Services Scotland, who will triage the patient following a referral. The Team will work with the patient’s local health care teams to ensure earlier diagnostic and staging investigations take place, improving the efficiency of the referral to regional multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) process and therefore more rapid initiation of appropriate treatment. A retrospective audit has taken place to establish a baseline data from which to assess the success of the project.
If you have any queries or would like any further information on the project, please contact nss.hpb@nhs.scot.
