To face the emerging challenge of meeting the needs of acutely presenting cancer patients, the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR), Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the Association of Cancer Physicians (ACP) have produced a landmark paper aimed at oncologists, acute oncology teams, trainers, policy makers, trusts and health boards, and of course, patients, to nurture and encourage services across the UK. The RCR will collaborate with the RCP and the ACP to ensure that the recommendations in the report are met.  

The author's vision is that regardless of the exact model or configuration of the specific service, effective AOS in the future will have the following characteristics:

• Patient focused regardless of their location or point of access to the service
• Strong clinical leadership of multiprofessional teams, with distinct roles and responsibilities for all members
• Oncologists trained and working within a recognised subspeciality with the timer and resources for this area of practice
• Strong working relationships between professionals in AO, emergency medicine, acute medicine, palliative care and community medicine
• Clearly defined clinical pathways for common AO presentations crossing traditional care boundaries
• Systems to enable comprehensive data collection in place
• An active clinical trials portfolio
• Ongoing service evaluation and development utilising patient feedback/patient -reported outcomes

Friday 23 October 2020- Page 21.                            Read the full report (PDF)