The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust serves over 550,000 people and delivers almost 15,000 cycles of cancer therapy per year. The trust operates an acute oncology (AO) service during weekday working hours and a 24-hour AO helpline. A recent audit of the AO service found that telephone triage is a main component and that the majority of patients can be managed over the phone without needing to come to the hospital. Appropriate training for staff on triage strategies could help the AO service optimize patient management and prevent unnecessary admissions.

1. The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust is a District General
Hospital serving a population of over 550,000 and delivering
almost 15,000 cycles of Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy in
2015. Acute Oncology (AO) service improves patient
experience and outcomes. 1-4 Our service operates during
working hours from Monday to Friday while there is 24hrs
AO Helpline offering advice to cancer patients.
BACKGROUND
AIMS & OBJECTIVES
CONCLUSION
Telephone triage is one of the mainstays of Acute Oncology
services. In this audit the majority of the patients could be
managed over the phone without the need for hospital
review.
Appropriate training on triage and strategies for adopting a
workforce with a varying skill mix could support delivery
of AO services and could be implemented to optimize
patients’ management and prevent unnecessary admissions
REFERENCES
1. National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcomes and Death. For better or worse? A
review of the care of patients who died within 30 days of receiving systemic anti-cancer therapy.
London: NCEPOD,2008. www.ncepod.org.uk/2008report3/Downloads/SACT_report.pdf
[Accessed 1 January 2017].
2. National Chemotherapy Advisory Group (NCAG). Chemotherapy Services in England:
ensuring quality and safety. London: Department of
Health,2009.http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130107105354/http:/www.dh.gov.uk/p
rod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_104501.pdf [Accessed 1
January 2017]
3. The impact of a new acute oncology service in acute hospitals: experience from the
Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and Merseyside and Cheshire Cancer Network. HL Neville-Webbe
et al. Clinical Medicine 2013,Vol 13, No 6: 565-9
4. Patterns of acute oncology admissions: an exploratory analysis of over 7000 patient
episodes Neville-Webbe HL, et al. Postgrad Med J 2016;92:649–652.
doi:10.1136/postgradmedj-2015-133805
The aim of this audit was to analyse the reason and the
outcome of phone calls made to AO service.
The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Sohail Mughal , Konstantinos Kamposioras, Paul Clarke , Michelle Law , Barbara Crosse, Lauren Riley, Claire
Copperwheat, Iva Damyanova, Rasheid Mekki, Rachel Lennox, Hassan Hameed, Maryon Hardie, Jay Naik
WHY DO PATIENTS CALL ACUTE ONCOLOGY SERVICES?
A retrospective analysis of working hours AO activity from
August 2015 to November 2016. Analysis was performed on
patients diagnosed with solid tumours. Intervention was
classified as major , intermediate and minor.4
METHODS
RESULTS
PRESENTING COMPLAINTS
INTERVENTION
OUTCOMEAOS defined levels of intervention4
Major Managing new cancers , cancer symptoms, chemotherapy or radiotherapy
complications, organising diagnostic tests, cancelling or preventing
unnecessary tests, preventing admission
Intermediate
Recommending referral to other teams, including other hospitals and the
Cancer Centre , psychological support collecting patient information
Minor Checking progress of inpatients, Organising follow-up