Project Name: Royal Devon & Exeter Early Breast Cancer Service

Project Summary: 

This Collaborative Working Project (“CWP”) aims to create capacity and optimise workforce for the early Breast Cancer (“eBC”) service for Royal Devon University Hospitals Trust, thus improving sustainability and releasing pressure for the Breast Cancer Service for all patients. 

 

This will be achieved by transforming the CW Partner’s breast cancer service by addition of a dedicated Band 7 Non-Medical Prescriber (NMP) for a period of 12 months. 

 

The nurse will deliver a systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) clinic for patients diagnosed with eBC at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and North Devon District Hospital. This will ensure equity of access for all eBC patients to the service. 

 

Expected Benefits: 

Anticipated benefits for patients 

  • Faster access to equitable, consistent, and standardised care.    

  • Support earlier diagnosis and treatment decisions.  

  • Increased access to self-management education and drug toxicity education to improve treatment adherence and consequently patients’ outcomes, supported by a personalised care plan.    

  • Reduce patient waits in the clinic given extra capacity created by new workforce role.    

  • More streamlined pathways to improve the patient experience and limit visits to the hospital.  

  • Provide a single point of contact for patients enabling continuity of care and improved patient experience.   

 

Anticipated benefits for the organisation  

  • Increase the overall quality of care and improve equity of access to specialist care for patients with BC requiring treatment initiation, evaluation, and monitoring.    

  • Provide a single point of contact for a dedicated cohort of patients, thereby reducing the potential for unplanned calls being received by the wider clinical team.    

  • Free up consultant capacity for clinical activities within the early Breast Cancer Service that are unique to their skillset.    

  • Workforce efficiency and optimisation by removing administrative burden from clinical staff and coordinating patient care.  

  • Increased clinic efficiency by ensuring all up to date tests results are available at the right time.  

  • Increase the overall quality of care and improve equity of access to specialist care for patients with BC requiring treatment initiation, evaluation, and monitoring.   

  • Opportunity to analyse, share, and act upon patient satisfaction survey results.    

 

Anticipated benefits for Novartis  

  • Better understanding of overall HCP and patient needs.  

  • Better understanding of the oncology and breast cancer NHS landscape within Devon and Exeter.  

  • Optimal use of medicines in line with local/national guidance (including Novartis medicines) in appropriate patients.   

  • Ethical, professional, and transparent relationship between Novartis and the Healthcare Organisation.  

  • Enhanced reputation supporting Novartis’ vision to provide high quality Collaborative Working with healthcare organisations, to help address some of the issues surrounding health inequalities.   

 

Start Date & Expected Duration: May 2026, 16 months (12 months of clinical activity) 

FA-11665930 | May 2026