• Groups that deal with particular types of cancer eg breast, lung, colorectal etc. These groups have been charged with developing clinical and referral guidelines, a minimum data set and agreeing audit projects and clinical trials for their cancer type.
• Groups that deal with particular professional issues, primary care, nursing and allied health professionals.
• Groups which include users and carers that look at areas such as the quality of patient information available, undertake patient surveys and who work closely with the local Cancer Units in the development of local services.

Network Groups

• Strategic Cancer Network Board
• Network Data Managers Group
• Network Allied Health Professionals Cancer Group
• Network Chemotherapy Group
• Network Palliative Care Strategy Group
• Network Primary Care and Prevention Group
• Network Radiology Group
• Network Cellular Pathology Group
• Network Cancer Managers Group
• Network Lead Nurse Group

Tumour Groups

All tumour specific groups (Network Site Specialist Groups - NSSGs) have been charged with reviewing the cancer care strategies across the Network, to include: prevention, screening, identification, referral, diagnosis, treatment options and palliative care.

They will advise the Strategic Cancer Network Board on deficiencies and priorities for development and will be paramount in any discussions around the use of additional monies that become available for the tumour service.

The membership of a NSSG varies across the Network, dependant on the speciality of the group. For tumour specific sites, it includes the Lead Clinician from each of the Cancer Units for the particular disease site and specialist nurses from each of the Cancer Units, with representatives from other specialities e.g. Radiology and Pathology. Oncologists from the Cancer Centre also attend and some NSSGs have a representative from the Cancer Partnership Group.

The current NSSGs are:

• Breast
• Colorectal
• Gynaecology
• Haematology
• Head and Neck
• Lung
• Urology
• Upper GI

NSSGs will need to be established for skin, neurology and sarcoma prior to the relevant Improving Outcomes Guidance being published in 2005.

Key Organisations »

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