The NLCA Quality Improvement priorities, developed in consultation with stakeholders in the Clinical Reference Group, will centre on:
- Increasing the proportion of patients who receive treatment with curative intent. This will reflect NICE recommendations for patients with NSCLC undergoing resection surgery and adjuvant therapy. It is also related to two NICE 2019 Quality Standards: increasing the proportion of patients encouraged to seek medical advice if experiencing symptoms (statement 1) and ensuring that patients suitable for curative treatment have their stage and lung function established (statement 4+5)
- Increasing the proportion of patients who are assessed by a lung cancer nurse specialist – NICE 2019 Quality Standard (statement 3)
- Reducing the number of patients diagnosed after an emergency presentation. These patients usually have advanced stage and poor prognosis. This goal will form part of the NLCA reporting of routes to diagnosis and will be reported to primary care and cancer alliances to complement the work of the NHS England’s Lung Health Checks initiative, part of the NHS Long Term Plan to improve early diagnosis and survival for those diagnosed with cancer.
- Improving compliance with the National Optimal Lung Cancer Pathway, which sets timeframes for each stage of the care pathway, enabling treatment for patients to start within 49 days of lung cancer being suspected.
- Reducing variation in quality and improving timeliness for patients undergoing predictive molecular marker analysis – NICE 2019 Quality Standard (statement 6)