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    3. Driving Efficiencies in Cancer Treatment Location
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    Driving Efficiencies in Cancer Treatment Location

    Ensuring efficient use of health resources is critical to the Government’s goal of unblocking the significant capacity challenges facing the NHS. The aim of this partnership was to create efficiencies working to refer patients for Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) to less oversubscribed services in the North of England.
    We need longer-term, co-funded models. The current approach – injecting non-recurrent funding for short-term projects - creates unsustainable services and leaves the NHS scrambling when support ends. Our collaboration with J&J and IQVIA allowed us to analyse patient travel patterns and treatment regimens. The result was a powerful tool that’s now shaping how we design future services.
    Dr James Bailey, Consultant Haematologist and Chief of Service, Specialist Cancer & Support Services, The Queen’s Centre for Haematology at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
    Background

    The existing SACT service model faced several systemic challenges. The Hull Day Unit was operating at full capacity, leading to delays. Patients were travelling to the unit, despite the presence of closer facilities such as mobile chemotherapy units, which were operating below capacity. Recruitment and retention challenges, lack of on-site medical staff in some locations, and governance complexities across multiple trusts were also hindering service delivery.

    Partnership and Solution

    The project brought together Hull University Teaching Hospitals (HUTH), Northern Lincolnshire & Goole NHS Trust (NLAG) and the Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance (HNYCA), alongside Johnson & Johnson and IQVIA, to evaluate and enhance the patient pathway and experience for patients receiving haematology and oncology treatment within the region.

    The project delivered a data-driven, interactive mapping tool that visualised patient home locations, treatment centres and treatment needed. The resulting tool enables providers to identify inefficiencies, such as patients bypassing closer treatment centres, and supported the reallocation of resources to better match patient needs.

    Benefits
    • Reduced Travel Burden: Patients could access treatment closer to home, improving convenience and reducing non-attendance
    • Optimised Capacity: Freed up space at the overburdened Hull Day Unit and better utilised underused facilities like a mobile unit
    • Improved Patient Experience: Streamlined pathways and reduced delays enhanced overall care quality
    • System-Wide Benefits: The tool supported workforce planning, improved service governance, and laid the groundwork for broader adoption across other Integrated Care Boards (ICBs)
    • Scalability: The tool’s design and documentation allow replication in other cancer alliances, supporting national efforts to decentralise cancer care

    Collaboration to deliver solutions for Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance

    PDF Download

    CP-548637 | November 2025