The sixth annual report from the National Head and Neck Cancer Audit – which now contains more than 20,000 patient records and covers about 95 per cent of all cases in England and Wales – has been published today.

Covering the period of November 2009 to October 2010, the report looks at the care of patients with head and neck cancer – one of the less common cancers which often requires very complex treatment - and makes recommendations to trusts based on its findings.

Key findings include:

• Many patients requiring radiotherapy are still experiencing significant delays. The reason for this is unclear and may be in part due to demand on services, or the introduction of more complex radiotherapy techniques which have lengthened access times.
• The percentage of patients who access multi-professional care has improved across trusts.
• Biopsy to reporting was less than 10 days for an improved number of cases.
• New research into the care of early larynx and oropharynx cancer patients shows wide regional variation in the provision of choice of treatment; with some trusts mainly offering radiotherapy and others mainly offering surgery.

The audit is managed by The NHS Information Centre, commissioned and funded by The Healthcare Quality Partnership (HQIP) and supported by a wide group of both medical and non medical professional bodies, the British Association of Head and Neck Oncologists (BAHNO) and health departments in England and Wales. Its main recommendations are

• Trusts should look critically at access to radiotherapy and develop strategies that allow timely access for patients.
• Commissioners should look for evidence of multi professional care when commissioning services and ensure all patents have access to this.
• Multi Disciplinary Teams (MDTs) should ensure they have a mechanism in place to capture records of any patients whose treatment is carried out outside of an MDT. These exceptions should be audited and action taken to ensure all patients treatment decisions are discussed through and MDT.

Richard Wight, ENT consultant and National Clinical Lead for Head and Neck cancers, said: “The high number of cases captured by this audit reflects the significant commitment of a wide range of clinical professionals, which should be applauded.

“The audit is vital in helping to improve patient care and today's report shows an increasing number of head and neck patients are getting access to the complex care and range of skilled health professionals they need.

“However the audit also shows that some patients still do not get access to all such professionals and services; with timely access to radiotherapy of particular concern.”

The report can be accessed from May 31 at www.ic.nhs.uk/headandneck

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The NHS Information Centre is England's authoritative, independent source of health and social care information. It works a wide range of health and social care providers nationwide to provide the facts and figures that help the NHS and social services run effectively. Its role is to collect data, analyse it and convert it into useful information which helps providers improve their services and supports academics, researchers, regulators and policymakers in their work. The NHS Information Centre also produces a wide range of statistical publications each year across a number of areas including: primary care, health and lifestyles, screening, hospital care, population and geography, social care and workforce and pay statistics.
2. The National Head and Neck Cancer Audit (DAHNO) provides a continuous electronic comparative audit on the management of head and neck cancer in England and Wales. The project is supported by a wide group of both medical and non medical professional bodies, by the British Association of Head and Neck Oncologists (BAHNO) and by health departments in England and Wales.
3. The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) is led by a consortium of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the Royal College of Nursing and National Voices. Its aim is to promote quality improvement, and in particular to increase the impact that clinical audit has on healthcare quality in England and Wales. HQIP hosts the contract to manage and develop the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP). Their purpose is to engage clinicians across England and Wales in systematic evaluation of their clinical practice against standards and to support and encourage improvement in the quality of treatment and care. The programme comprises more than 30 clinical audits that cover care provided to people with a wide range of medical, surgical and mental health conditions.
4. For media enquires please call 0845 257 6990 or contact mediaenquiries@ic.nhs.uk