Quality standard
Quality statement 2: Named healthcare professional
Quality statement 2: Named healthcare professional
Quality statement
Adults with brain tumours have a named healthcare professional who coordinates their health and social care support.
Rationale
Adults with any type of brain tumour may have complex needs, and support is provided by different health and social care services. Having a named healthcare professional to coordinate support will provide continuity of care, including making sure individual needs are assessed and care plans are in place. It will enable adults with brain tumours and their family and carers to access advice and support when they need it. This will improve their experience and quality of life throughout the whole care pathway.
Quality measures
The following measures can be used to assess the quality of care or service provision specified in the statement. They are examples of how the statement can be measured and can be adapted and used flexibly.
Structure
Evidence of local processes to ensure that adults with brain tumours are assigned a named healthcare professional who coordinates their health and social care support at all stages of the care pathway.
Data source: Data can be collected from information recorded locally by provider organisations, for example from service protocols.
Process
Proportion of adults with brain tumours who have the name and contact details of a healthcare professional who coordinates their health and social care support.
Numerator – the number in the denominator who have the name and contact details of a healthcare professional who coordinates their health and social care support.
Denominator – the number of adults with brain tumours.
Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example, audit of patient records. Providers may wish to check if some groups are less likely to have a named healthcare professional, such as those with a non-malignant tumour or those diagnosed following an emergency presentation. NHS England's National Cancer Patient Experience Survey includes data for part of the pathway for adults with brain tumours admitted to hospital for treatment who were given the name of a clinical nurse specialist who would support them during treatment.
Outcome
Proportion of adults with brain tumours who are satisfied with the coordination of their health and social care support by their named healthcare professional.
Numerator – the number in the denominator who are satisfied with the coordination of their health and social care support by their named healthcare professional.
Denominator – the number of adults with brain tumours.
Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data could be collected from a local survey of adults with brain tumours and their family and carers. NHS England's National Cancer Patient Experience Survey includes data on ease of contacting a clinical nurse specialist for adults with brain tumours receiving hospital treatment.
What the quality statement means for different audiences
Service providers (such as primary, secondary and tertiary care services) ensure that healthcare professionals with the necessary skills are available to support adults with any type of brain tumour. Providers ensure that protocols are in place with local partners for a named healthcare professional to coordinate health and social care support for adults with any type of brain tumour during all stages of their care.
Healthcare professionals (such as members of the multidisciplinary team) ensure that adults with any type of brain tumour and their family and carers know how to contact the healthcare professional who coordinates their health and social care support. Healthcare professionals share information with the named healthcare professional to allow them to coordinate care for adults with brain tumours. Named healthcare professionals provide support and information to adults with brain tumours and their family and carers, carry out assessments at key points of care and make referrals when needed.
Commissioners (such as integrated care systems, clinical commissioning groups and NHS England) ensure that the services they commission have enough capacity to provide named healthcare professionals who coordinate health and social care support for adults with any type of brain tumour throughout all stages of care.
Adults with any type of brain tumour can contact a healthcare professional who coordinates their health and social care support for information, advice and support throughout their care.
Source guidance
Brain tumours (primary) and brain metastases in adults. NICE guideline NG99 (2018, updated 2021), recommendation 1.9.5
Definitions of terms used in this quality statement
Named healthcare professional who coordinates health and social care support
The named healthcare professional should promote continuity of care and manage transitions of care. This is done by assessing the person's needs, ensuring care plans have been agreed with the person receiving care and that findings from assessments and care plans are communicated to others involved in the person's care. Coordination of care across the patient pathway also includes ensuring people are referred to the appropriate multidisciplinary services at any time. The named healthcare professional ensures that adults with any type of brain tumour, their family and carers know who to contact when help and advice is needed.
The named healthcare professional could be a key worker and will have expertise in the care of adults with brain tumours. The named healthcare professional is likely to be the clinical nurse specialist or allied healthcare professional most closely involved with a person's care. The role should be transferred to the most appropriate healthcare professional as the person's needs change or at transitional points in the care pathway. [Adapted from NICE's cancer service guideline on improving outcomes for people with brain and other central nervous system tumours, section 2 recommendations]
Equality and diversity considerations
Named healthcare professionals should ensure that adults with any type of brain tumour are provided with information that they can easily read and understand themselves, or with support, so that they can communicate effectively with health and care services. Information should be in a format that suits their needs and preferences. Adults with cognitive impairment may need support and more time to process information. Information should be accessible to people who do not speak or read English, and it should be culturally appropriate. People should have access to an interpreter (including British Sign Language) or advocate if needed. For people with additional needs related to a disability, impairment or sensory loss (including any disability that develops because of the tumour and the treatment received), information should be provided as set out in NHS England's Accessible Information Standard.