Project Name: Novartis Re-imagining Care Pathways Collaborative Working Project (“NRCP CWP”) Breast Cancer Services – CDDFT and STFT

Organisation(s): 

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, Hollyhurst Road, Darlington, County Durham DL3 6HX (the “CW Partner”) 

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, James Cook University Hospital, Marton Road, Middlesborough TS4 3BW (the “CW Partner”)

Project Summary: 

The Re-imagining Care Pathways CWP comprises a series of workshops, with the aim of providing pathway mapping support to the CW Partner (healthcare and service teams) to:

  • Improve efficiency and service effectiveness for the benefit of patient care.
  • Address the local challenges they face in the delivery of patient care.

The programme facilitates area teams (Trust or ICS), to identify areas for efficiency within their Breast Cancer service for prioritisation. The pathway mapping workshop will be facilitated by the Novartis Solutions Implementation Manager (“SIM”) team.

Expected Benefits: 

Anticipated Benefits for Patients:

  • Improvement of clinical pathways which may result in potentially fewer visits and shorter waiting times due to a more efficient clinical pathway.
  • Faster and more equitable access to the complete range of NICE recommended treatment options.
  • Quality care improvements aligned to established best practices. 

Anticipated Benefits for the Organisation(s):

  • Improved understanding of the current service pathway, and associated efficiencies and inefficiencies.
  • Potential to lead to solutions which could allow the CW Partner’s organisation to enhance both patient experience and outcomes.

Anticipated Benefits for Novartis:

  • Enhanced understanding of healthcare system needs and opportunities for supporting improvements in patient care pathways in collaboration with the CW Partner.
  • Improved understanding of patients’, carers’, and healthcare system needs, which may inform future non-promotional initiatives aimed at supporting patient care and service improvement.

Start Date & Duration: May 2026, 14 weeks

FA-11688328 | May 2026