An update on the Wessex Cancer Surgical Hub – March 2021

At the Wessex Cancer Alliance Board meeting in March 2021, it was agreed that the time was right to pause the Wessex Surgical Hub, a mechanism we had put in place to minimise the impact of Covid-19 on cancer patients awaiting time critical surgery.

The Hub, although in place during the first lockdown, only needed to become operational during the latest lockdown, from January 2021. Since then over 30 regional and extra regional patients with a variety of cancer diagnoses have been operated on via the Hub process, with no morbidity and mortality and importantly, no hospital acquired covid transmission in this group.

Additionally, feedback from the patients and users of the Hub, has been exceptional. After the Board meeting, the clinical lead for the Hub, Professor Alex Mirnezami sent a letter of thanks to all those involved in making this such a success for our Wessex population.

The Hub has been a true example of how collaborative working can make a huge impact and it was only through the support of every Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive of the Trusts across our region, as well as the many staff, clinicians, managers and administrators who gave their time, that made it possible to set up this never-before-seen process.

What is a Cancer Surgical Hub?

The Covid pandemic placed an unprecedented amount of pressure on NHS systems. Along with NHS England guidance and to ensure that urgent elective cancer surgery was continued without disruption, Wessex Cancer Alliance set up the Wessex Cancer Surgical Hub. In the event that trusts were unable to meet their cancer surgery demand locally, these patients could choose to be referred into the Cancer Surgical Hub, to speed up their access to treatment. A pan-Wessex Clinical Prioritisation Panel was put in place to support the prioritisation of patients into the Hub.

In the set-up of the Cancer Surgical Hub, clinical and operational protocols and processes were developed and agreed by clinical representatives from all eight Wessex trusts (including Salisbury). The Cancer Hub was fully operational from 17 June 2020 – March 2021.

For more information on the Cancer Hub, please view our Wessex Cancer Surgery Hub Overview document, or alternatively visit the Cancer Matters Wessex website.

For more detailed clinical and operational protocols, please feel free to contact us at wessexcanceralliance@wca.uhs.nhs.uk