From October 2022, the work of the NABCOP has been expanded on by two new national audits of primary breast cancer and metastatic breast cancer in women and men of all ages.

Find out more.

Scoping Survey for new audits – Version 2: The National Audit of Primary Breast Cancer and the National Audit of Metastatic Breast Cancer

This survey is open to healthcare professionals who provide Breast Cancer services in NHS hospitals in England and Wales. We are particularly interested in the views of oncologists and surgeons working in this area.

The purpose of the Scoping Survey is to seek your view, as a stakeholder, on the current priorities for the audit of Primary Breast Cancer and Metastatic Breast Cancer, specifically (1) where care could be improved to provide most benefit and (2) which subgroups of patients could benefit from care being improved.

The findings from the survey will inform initial discussions around areas for Quality Improvement, and related indicators for each of the audits.

Your time helping with this is much appreciated.

  1. Deadline for responses: 28 April 2023.
  2. Link to Scoping Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BCa-Scoping-survey-V2

Note: If you leave the survey and return to it later, you must use the same browser and computer on which the form was started, otherwise answers to the completed questions will be lost.

If you have any problems with the survey or have questions, please contact us at breastcanceraudits@rcseng.ac.uk.

We look forward to receiving your feedback.

The Breast Cancer Audits team

National Breast Cancer Audits Newsletter – Issue 2023 (1) now available

The inaugural newsletter – issue 2023 (1) – from the new National Audit of Primary Breast Cancer and National Audit of Metastatic Breast Cancer is now available.

This issue contains information on:

  • Scoping survey for the new audits – how you can help shape the future of the new breast cancer audits;
  • How you can find out more about the new audits at the ABS Conference on 15-16 May.

The newsletter has been emailed to all our known contacts at NHS Trusts and Health Boards that provide breast cancer care in England and Wales. If you would like to be added to our eNewsletter mailing list, please contact us.

Scoping Survey for new audits of Primary Breast Cancer and Metastatic Breast Cancer

Scoping Survey for new audits: The National Audit of Primary Breast Cancer and the National Audit of Metastatic Breast Cancer

This survey is open to both healthcare professionals who provide Breast Cancer services in NHS hospitals in England and Wales, as well as those affected by or working with those affected by breast cancer.

The purpose of the Scoping Survey is to seek your view, as a stakeholder, on the current priorities for the audit of Primary Breast Cancer and Metastatic Breast Cancer, specifically (1) where care could be improved to provide most benefit and (2) which subgroups of patients could benefit from care being improved.

The findings from the survey will inform initial discussions around areas for Quality Improvement, and related indicators for each of the audits.

Your time helping with this is much appreciated.

Note: If you leave the survey and return to it later, you must use the same browser and computer on which the form was started, otherwise answers to the completed questions will be lost.

If you have any problems with the survey or have questions, please contact us at breastcanceraudits@rcseng.ac.uk.

We look forward to receiving your feedback.

The Breast Cancer Audits team

NABCOP receives ‘highly commended’ award for excellent patient involvement

The National Audit of Breast Cancer in Older Patients (NABCOP) has been highly commended by the Richard Driscoll Memorial Award 2022, for an excellent patient involvement programme and co-produced resources.

The Richard Driscoll Memorial Award celebrates great public and patient involvement in the national clinical audit and patient outcomes programme (NCAPOP), and is presented to the HQIP commissioned programme that has been judged to have best demonstrated that they have meaningful engagement with patients, carers and families embedded in their work.

Feedback from the judging panel included:

  • The NABCOP is very patient-focused, with a well defined approach to patient engagement and involvement that has clearly thought about how to support a niche group of patients.
  • The co-produced clinic guide was specifically mentioned as a positive, as was the fact that live surveys were used to gather feedback on the impact and value of the resources.
  • The annual report, with a separate explainer report for patients and the public, is good.
  • Charities as well as individual patients have been engaged and involved.

The NABCOP’s submission to the award is available on the HQIP website, or by clicking the image below.

You can also find out about this year’s winner on the HQIP website.

NABCOP Newsletter – Issue 2022 (4) now available

The NABCOP Newsletter Issue 2022 (4) is now available.

This issue contains information on:

  • The future of breast cancer audit as the NABCOP draws to a close, and how the NABCOP team will ensure continuity and a smooth transition as breast cancer audit expands;
  • Learning from the 1 September NABCOP webinar, which discussed the findings of the 2022 Annual Report as well as steps to improve data quality;
  • NABCOP’s forthcoming contribution to the Association of Breast Surgery (ABS) Nursing Conference taking place in November;
  • An encouragement to contact us if additional colleagues at your service should be added to our distribution lists for the new audits; and
  • A thank you from the NABCOP team.

The newsletter has been emailed to all our known contacts at NHS Trusts and Health Boards that provide breast cancer care in England and Wales. If you would like to be added to our eNewsletter mailing list, please contact us.

Two new breast cancer audits to be launched

Preparations are under way to commence two new national breast cancer audits, as the work of the National Audit of Breast Cancer in Older Patients (NABCOP) draws to a close.

As announced earlier this year, on 1 October 2022, the new National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre (NATCAN) will be launched and is designed to strengthen NHS cancer services by looking at treatments and patient outcomes across England and Wales. The NATCAN will be run by the Clinical Effectiveness Unit (CEU) at the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

The NATCAN’s programme of work includes two new breast cancer audits. The first audit will look at primary breast cancer, while the second will focus on secondary (metastatic) breast cancer, for women and men of all ages.

The CEU has been managing the NABCOP since April 2016, and the work of the NABCOP and lessons learned will be used to inform the planning and delivery of the two new audits.  Resources from the NABCOP such as the guide to the breast cancer pathway for older women, and the fitness assessment for older patients in the breast clinic, continue to be made available.

The Clinical Leads and CEU staff who have worked for the NABCOP will also continue to be involved in the two new audits, helping to ensure a smooth transition and continuity of expertise in breast cancer audit. The new audits will also use the same data sources, principally the cancer registration datasets.  Improving data completeness among key data items will continue to be imperative for accurate reporting. Breast cancer units should continue their cancer registration data returns and implement NABCOP recommendations while the new audits are established.

The NABCOP website will remain available and the NABCOP Twitter account (@NABCOP_news) and newsletters will provide updates about the new audits as more information becomes available.

More information about the NATCAN is available on the HQIP and Royal College of Surgeons of England websites.

 

For any queries relating to either of the two new breast cancer audits (including any questions not answered by the information above), or if additional colleagues at your services should be added to our distribution lists for the new audits please email the audit team at breastcanceraudits@rcseng.ac.uk.

 

Any queries relating to the NABCOP can be addressed to the NABCOP team via the website contact form or at nabcop@rcseng.ac.uk.

NABCOP Newsletter – Issue 2022 (3) now available

The NABCOP Newsletter Issue 2022 (3) is now available.

This issue contains information on:

  • Publication of the 2022 annual report, plus a local action plan advising how breast cancer units can action the recommendations
  • Establishment of a new National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre within the Clinical Effectiveness Unit at the Royal College of Surgeons of England – including two new audits on primary breast cancer and metastatic (secondary) breast cancer
  • New NABCOP publication, on changes to breast cancer radiotherapy fractionation in early 2020
  • NABCOP webinar, 1 September 2022

The newsletter has been emailed to all our known contacts at NHS Trusts and Health Boards that provide breast cancer care in England and Wales. If you would like to be added to our eNewsletter mailing list, please contact us.

NABCOP 2022 Annual Report – published!

The National Audit of Breast Cancer in Older Patients (NABCOP) has published its 2022 Annual Report on May 12th 2022.

It presents results from the prospective audit of women aged 50 years and over, diagnosed with breast cancer between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2020, in England and Wales. Specifically, it looks at the impact of age on patterns of care, treatment received and outcomes.

This is a collaboration between the Association of Breast Surgery (ABS) and the Clinical Effectiveness Unit (CEU) of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS), and was commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) as part of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP).

If you have any queries about the audit, please let us know.

For more information about NABCOP, please visit our FAQs for professionals and the public.

NABCOP Newsletter – Issue 2022 (2)

The NABCOP Newsletter Issue 2022 (2) is now available.

The Newsletter has been emailed to all our known contacts at NHS Trusts and Health Boards that provide breast cancer care in England and Wales. If you would like to be added to our eNewsletter mailing list, please contact us.

NABCOP Newsletter – Issue 2022 (1)

The NABCOP Newsletter Issue 2022 (1) is now available.

The Newsletter has been emailed to all our known contacts at NHS Trusts and Health Boards that provide breast cancer care in England and Wales. If you would like to be added to our eNewsletter mailing list, please contact us.