Setting up a nurse-led 2-week-wait head and neck cancer diagnostic service

Abstract

The number of urgent ‘2-week-wait’ referrals to hospital for people with suspected head and neck cancer being sent by primary care is constantly growing and it is becoming increasingly difficult for head and neck cancer services to meet this demand. In order for trusts to meet their Faster Diagnosis Standards, there needs to be an effective and efficient way to ensure there is capacity for patients to receive the appropriate assessments and diagnostic investigations without compromising the quality of care delivered. This article presents the proposal of introducing a nurse-led 2-week-wait clinic to meet the ever-growing demands on the service. There is discussion of the consultant-led training programme used to upskill an advanced nurse practitioner in a single-centre study, as well as explanation of the processes followed to maintain patient safety throughout the pilot project. There will also be consideration of clinical governance and discussion of how patient satisfaction with the novel service will be measured.