Rapid access for patients with head and neck lumps

In the White Paper The New NHS: Modern, Dependable (DoH 1997), the government states that anyone with suspected cancer will be able to be seen by a specialist within two weeks of referral by a GP. Staff at Southport General Infirmary set up a rapid access clinic for patients referred with a neck lump to meet these targets. A protocol was devised to deal with these new patients and the clinic was audited during the first six months to ensure that the two-week target was being met.

The results of the audit showed that the rapid-access clinic was able to provide a fast, quality service for this small number (n = 58) of patients. The majority (n = 49) (84 per cent) of patients were seen within the target time. The remaining patients were not seen within the two-week target because of delays in receiving GP referrals and patients' difficulties in meeting the allocated appointment.