2020 BMJ Awards Finalists

November 19, 2020 4:26 PM

DEDICATED TEAM FINALISTS FOR NATIONAL AWARD

The National Sarcoma MDT improvement project was nominated for the awards and team was invited to participate as finalists under Cancer Team of the Year category.

The interviews and ceremony were scheduled for the 22nd April 2020; however had to be deferred until October 2020 due to the pandemic.  New dates are to be confirmed. Other candidates are Swansea Bay University Health Board (Rapid Diagnosis Centre), University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust(Lung Ca Emergency Presentation), Oxford University Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust and Oxfordshire CCG (SCAN pathway), Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust (Children with Retrinoblastoma).

The “National Sarcoma MDT project”, initiated by Dr Ioanna Nixon and co-led by Dr Mark McCleery and Lindsay Campbell on behalf of the Scottish Sarcoma Network, is a national forum for discussions and decision making on the optimal treatment and care for all patients diagnosed with sarcoma.

Sarcomas are rare and diverse cancers that can develop in any part of the body and are 1% of cancers in Scotland. On average 350 patients are diagnosed each year in Scotland but this number is rising, and the MDT ensure the complex care required for patients is co-ordinated between the multiple sites.

Early diagnosis and pathology input is essential for every patient with sarcoma and the Scottish sarcoma multi-disciplinary team (MDT) aims to ensure equitable, timely, safe and person centred care for all patients.

Dr Nixon said:  “We are delighted we are finalists for the BMJ awards.  This is a boost for everyone who has worked extremely hard to support reform work for all cancer patients Scotland.  This includes the team, clinicians, pharmacists and GP colleagues.

“We also work with patients to improve the patient experience.  This feedback from patients on how we make improvements is a team effort. Using QI science helps us to plan, coordinate and deliver an improvement project. But the recipe for success lies in the common purpose and shared vision.”

“We are all together on a journey to improve care for our patients and their families.”

“If, as Hippocrates says, we have a love of medicine, we, the National Sarcoma MDT, shall share this love in all dimensions of our professional life.”