The Bristol Network, which includes North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT), University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, has been recognised as a “Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence” following rigorous expert-led assessments by the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM).
This award congratulates the six new brain tumour centres for excellence in treatment, research and care. This is an impressive achievement as despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, these centres have been able to transform their services to elevate their wrap-around patient care.
With 12,000 people diagnosed with a brain tumour every year in the UK, there has never been a more important time to recognise the efforts of NHS staff committed to developing and improving brain tumour treatment and care.
The committee found the Bristol Network demonstrated excellent treatment and care across the network and Bristol was recognised for its commitment to service development, in particular the further development of its rehabilitation pathways.
In addition to the excellent patient support at all stages of their treatment, the committee commended Bristol for its neuropathology services. Bristol is a leading voice in the Tessa Jowell Academy and is spearheading the effort to widen access to genomic testing across the UK.
Professor Kate Bushby, who led the designation exercise, emphasised: “The award not only celebrates the centres’ hard work to push for excellence but also formalises the teams' commitment to continual service improvement.”
Kathreena Kurian, Professor of Neuropathology and Honorary Consultant at NBT, Head of the Brain Tumour Research Centre at the University of Bristol and a member of the Bristol Network, said: “It is a complete honour that the Bristol, Cheltenham and Bath network has been recognised as a Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence which is the culmination of years of hard work. This diverse multidisciplinary network is led by a highly skilled, dedicated clinical team whose priority is a patient-centred approach for all brain- cancer patients. ”
This initiative is part of TJBCM’s national mission to ensure every patient has access to excellent care, no matter where they live. With the addition of six new centres, there are now 17 Centres of Excellence across the UK. In time, it is the Mission’s aspiration that every brain tumour centre in the UK becomes a Centre of Excellence.
Due to the combined catchment area of these six centres, a further 14 million people now have access to excellent care should they need it, with the centres jointly treating more than 1,000 new brain tumour patients per year.
Jess Mills, Tessa Jowell’s daughter and TJBCM’s Special Adviser has hailed this good news and said: “We are one step closer to achieving this incredible ambition of excellence for all. The reason we are moving forward at this fast pace is due to the combined efforts and commitment of the doctors, nurses and support staff in each of the hospitals.”
To be considered for this award, centres implemented specific feedback from the Mission and made a range of service improvements over a period of 18 months. Highlights include: better access to biobanking, increased nurse staffing, improved provision of care for low grade tumour patients, new nurse-led clinics, further specialised neurosurgery services, quicker turnaround of key diagnostic tests and improved access to rehabilitation services.
All six centres will continue to share their expertise with staff in other centres through the Tessa Jowell Academy, the Mission’s national learning and networking platform. This will ensure that multidisciplinary teams continue to connect with peer centres across the country and learn from each other’s excellence to support service improvement nationally.
It is hoped that for the 88,000 British people currently living with a brain tumour, the Excellence status provides reassurance about the availability of excellent care and commitment to improvement in the NHS across the UK. The Mission looks forward to continuing to work with all centres to ensure a culture of commitment to excellence and service improvement.
The list of centres who obtained Excellence status this year include: The Bristol Network (North Bristol NHS Trust, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Trust); The East of England service (Cambridge University Hospitals, Norfolk Norwich Hospital and Ipswich Hospital); Oxford University Hospitals; Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust ; Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; and Cardiff Neuro-oncology centre (Velindre Cancer Centre and University Hospital Wales).