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The Network functions through a series of interrelated groups. These groups are the ‘engines for change’ and as such:
- Focus on the patient care pathway and not on organisations
- Are all multi-organisational and multi professional
- All have terms of reference and work programmes
Click links below to jump to:
- Tumour Specific Network Site Specific Groups (NSSGs):
- Network Cross Cutting Groups (NCCGs):
- Professional groups:
- 'Task-specific' groups:
- Locality Groups:
- "Don't be a Cancer Chancer" Steering Group
Tumour Specific Network Site Specific Groups (NSSGs)
The Manual of Cancer Services (2004) directed that cancer networks should have Network Site Specific Groups with a distinct membership to address cancer services for specific types of cancer. It defined their work programme, in line with the Improving Outcomes Guidance produced nationally for each type of cancer, as :
- Agreeing how patients should be referred (referral pathways), protocols for treatment and standards of care
- Service improvement
- Network wide audit of services
- Network wide mapping of services and finding out where barriers exist (gap analysis)
- Provide advice and recommend how services should be provided (service configuration) to the Network board, in line with national policy and guidelines
- Drafting action plans, including identifying resources needed
The way Network Site Specific Groups are set up and function is reviewed as part of the national cancer peer review process. Click here to find out more on Peer Review at the network.
The tumour specific NSSGs include:
- Brain/Central Nervous System (CNS)
- Breast
- Children's Cancer Network Group
- Colorectal
- Gynaecology
- Haemato-oncology
- Head and Neck
- HPB
- Lung
- OG / Upper GI
- Skin
- Urology
Click here for further general information about what NSSGs do. For more details on the specific work of each of the NSSGs listed, click the links above.
Network Cross Cutting Groups (NCCGs):
Network Cross Cutting Groups are directed by national standards to address issues which are generic, that is that cut across all the different types of cancer. Mandated NCCGs include:
- Cancer Commissiong Group
- Cancer Research
- Chemotherapy
- Imaging
- Histopathology
- Patient User Partnership (PUP)
- Palliative and End of Life Care
Click here for further general information about what NCCGs do. For more details on the specific work of each of the NCCGs listed, click the links above.
Professional groups:
Within Greater Manchester and Cheshire Cancer Network there are also several professional/common interest groups. These include:
- Allied Health Professionals
- Cancer Lead Managers
- Cancer Lead Nurses
- Locality Leads (no info at present)
- Network Clinical Advisory Group (under review)
- Primary Care Leads
Click here for further general information about what these groups do. For more details on the specific work of each of the groups listed, click the links above.
'Task-specific' groups:
In addition there are ‘task specfic’ groups. These include groups set up to look at, for example:
- Effective care pathways
- In-patient experience
- Patient information
- Spinal Cord Compression
- Herceptin (in early breast cancer)
- Videoconferencing
- Workforce
