Project Name: Novartis Re-imagining Care Pathways Collaborative Working Project (“NRCP CWP”) Northern Health & Social Care Trust – Breast Cancer Service  

Project Summary: 

The Reimagining 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:

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

The programme facilitates area teams (Trust or ICS) identify areas for efficiency within their Breast Cancer service for prioritisation. The programme will be carried out in a number of different institutions.

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 approved 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:

  • Understanding of possible opportunities to partner with the CW Partner to enhance patient outcomes and experience.
  • Better understanding of patients’, carers and customers’ needs, which may inform future service offerings, and synergies between needs of the customer and value of Novartis offerings. 

Start Date & Duration: November 2025, 16 weeks

FA-11547216 | October 2025

Project Name: Novartis Re-imagining Care Pathways Collaborative Working Project (“NRCP CWP”) Northern Health & Social Care Trust – Breast Cancer Service  

Organisation(s): Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Limited, 2nd Floor, The WestWorks Building, White City Place, 195 Wood Lane, London W12 7FQ, (“Novartis”), and, Northern Health & Social Care Trust, Antrim Area Hospital, Bush Road, Antrim, BT41 2RL (the “CW Partner”)    

Completion Date: 27th February 2026

Outcome Summary: 

The review of the Northern Health & Social Care Trust (NHSCT) Breast Cancer Service highlights a patient-centred service delivering strong clinical outcomes despite significant operational pressures. There are clear examples of excellent multidisciplinary collaboration, effective screening and radiology performance, and strong nursing and support services, all contributing positively to patient experience and care quality.

However, the assessment identifies system-wide capacity constraints and structural challenges that are increasingly impacting performance, sustainability, and staff wellbeing. The most critical issues include:

  • Workforce shortages and fragility across key areas (radiology, pathology, CNS, oncology), creating bottlenecks, delays, and reliance on locum support

  • Limited clinic and physical space, restricting service expansion, reducing privacy for patients, and contributing to backlog pressures

  • Growing demand and complexity, particularly within MDT workload, referral pathways, and administrative processes

  • Pathology and theatre capacity constraints, directly affecting diagnostic turnaround times and treatment timelines

  • Rising administrative burden and digital system inefficiencies, reducing clinical time and increasing frustration

  • Backlogs in follow-up care and inconsistencies in end-of-pathway management, with risks to continuity and patient engagement 

Conclusion: 

The NHSCT Breast Cancer Service delivers high-quality, patient-centred care, but is under increasing strain from capacity and system pressures.

This project provides a valuable real-time snapshot of the current Breast Cancer Pathway within the Trust. By clearly identifying key pinch points, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement, it establishes a robust evidence base to inform meaningful service improvement. Importantly, it also highlights areas of best practice that can be strengthened across the pathway.

Overall, the findings create a clear foundation for action – supporting the development of targeted, sustainable improvements to enhance efficiency, optimise resources, and ultimately improve outcomes and experience for patients.

FA-11758460 | August 2026