Quality standard

Quality statement 1: Discussion with a named nurse specialist

Quality statement

People with prostate cancer have a discussion about treatment options and adverse effects with a named nurse specialist.

Rationale

Nurse specialists are key points of contact for people with prostate cancer. They provide information about treatment options, answer questions or concerns and support people to make decisions about their care. This is particularly important immediately after diagnosis and when difficult choices about treatment need to be made. Nurse specialists also provide personalised care plans and information about support services.

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 arrangements to ensure that people with prostate cancer have a discussion about treatment options and adverse effects with a named nurse specialist.

Data source: Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example, from service specifications or local protocols. The National Prostate Cancer Audit organisational audit provides information on whether NHS providers of prostate cancer services have clinical nurse specialists.

Process

Proportion of people with prostate cancer who have a recorded discussion about treatment options and adverse effects with a named nurse specialist.

Numerator – the number in the denominator who have a recorded discussion about treatment options and adverse effects with a named nurse specialist.

Denominator – the number of people with prostate cancer.

Data source: Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example, from patient records. The National Prostate Cancer Audit  and the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey provide information on how people were informed about their treatment options, how treatment decisions were made and access to a clinical nurse specialist.

Outcome

Rates of people with prostate cancer satisfied with the discussion about treatment options and adverse effects.

Data source: National Cancer Patient Experience Survey.

What the quality statement means for different audiences

Service providers (such as hospitals, specialist prostate cancer multidisciplinary teams and specialist prostate cancer services) ensure that people with prostate cancer have a discussion about treatment options and adverse effects with a named nurse specialist.

Healthcare professionals ensure that people with prostate cancer have a discussion about treatment options and adverse effects with a named nurse specialist.

Commissioners (such as integrated care systems, clinical commissioning groups and NHS England) ensure that the services they commission have sufficient nurse specialists available to offer a discussion about treatment options and adverse effects to people with prostate cancer.

People with prostate cancer have a discussion about treatment options and adverse effects with a named nurse with experience in prostate cancer. They feel informed about their treatment options and side effects, and supported to make decisions about their treatment.

Definitions of terms used in this quality statement

Adverse effects

Adverse effects of prostate cancer treatment may include:

  • sexual dysfunction

  • loss of libido

  • impotence

  • urinary incontinence

  • radiation‑induced enteropathy

  • hot flushes

  • osteoporosis

  • cardiovascular complications

  • gynaecomastia

  • fatigue

  • weight gain

  • metabolic syndrome.

[Adapted from NICE's guideline on prostate cancer]

Nurse specialist

A nurse with a urology or oncology background who is a specialist in the management of prostate cancer. [Expert opinion]

Support services

Supportive care includes a number of services, both generalist and specialist, that may be required to support people with cancer and their carers. [Adapted from NICE's guideline on improving supportive and palliative care for adults with cancer]

Equality and diversity considerations

People of black African or Caribbean family origin are more likely to develop prostate cancer than other people. Despite this, awareness of prostate cancer is low among people in these groups and the nurse specialist should be aware of this when discussing prostate cancer with them.

Similarly, older people are at higher risk of developing prostate cancer than younger people, but may be less likely to continue to engage with health services after the initial contact. The nurse specialist should be aware of this when discussing prostate cancer with older people.

People who are gay, bisexual or transgender have a risk of developing prostate cancer. Healthcare professionals should be aware of their psychosexual needs, lifestyle and the impact of different treatment options.