We are delighted to hear that our friends at the Scottish Sarcoma Network (SSN) have been shortlisted for the BMJ 2020, “Cancer Care Team of the Year award” for their “National Sarcoma MDT improvement project”.
This project which was 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 and GIST.
Sarcomas represent 1% of all cancers in Scotland, they are rare and diverse cancers that can develop in any part of the body. On average there are 350 new sarcoma diagnoses in Scotland each year but this number is rising, and the Multidisciplinary team (MDT) ensure that the complex care required for patients is co-ordinated between multiple sites.
Early diagnosis and pathology input is essential for every patient with sarcoma and GIST 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 to be 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 work with patients to improve the patient experience and 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.”
Everyone at GIST Cancer UK wishes the SSN every success in the BMJ awards final which takes place in London in October.
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