South West Prostate Dashboard Shortlisted for the HSJ Data-Driven Transformation Award Category.

We have received confirmation that our work on the South West Prostate Dashboard has been shortlisted in the Data-Driven Transformation Award Category for the HSJ Awards 2023.

What is the South West Prostate Dashboard? 

In 2018, the Cancer Alliances in the SW (Peninsula and SWAG) began to work in collaboration with key urology clinicians and NHS South Central and West (SCW) to create a dashboard related to prostate cancer diagnosis. The aim of the work was to reduce variation in practice and improve timescales for diagnosis. Specific aims included the following:

  • To introduce pre-biopsy MRI at every provider
  • Support achievement of the 28-day FDS
  • Ensure quality of mpMRI
  • Standardise scanners and protocols
  • Ensure equity of access to high quality diagnostics
  • Provide real local data to counsel patients and support informed decision making
  • Create a collaborative network to ensure clinical support and sharing of best practice

All 13 acute providers in the SW agreed to submit agreed clinical and operational data. Clinical leads from the South West Prostate Group supported by Peninsula Cancer Alliance  identified the data fields and metrics for the dashboard and then working with SCW developed a method of data input and a dashboard, to display the data in a format that is clinically relevant, accessible and shows changes over time.

Specific outputs from the existing dashboard data which support the 28-day FDS and provide a safer, better-quality service to patients include:

  • Data shows detailed pathway analysis enabling targeted improvement plans
  • Improving MRI quality has enabled confidence in diagnosing PIRAD 2
  • Local data on outcomes in PIRAD 3 provides clinicians and patients improved evidence to support shared decision making around requirement for biopsy
  • Biopsy accuracy data has led to reduced histopathology workload, speeding up biopsy turnaround times

Sarah-Jane Davies, Deputy Managing Director for the Peninsula Cancer Alliance says:

The dashboard is a fantastic tool! It has been instrumental in shaping evidence-based change to clinical practice, raising standards of care and ensuring equity of access to high quality and timely services, across all providers. It supports detailed capacity planning, from understanding referral volumes by age or PSA level, pathway step timings, and even type of biopsy and histopathology results. This level of detail has been essential in helping us address bottlenecks, manage capacity during the post Covid era, and drive fast paced change.

Catherine Neck, Clinical Services Programme Lead for NHS South, Central and West says: 

The SW Prostate Cancer Dashboard is a great example of collaborative working using data to standardise and improve patient care across the region. The dashboard provides a rich source of information for clinicians, managers and Cancer Alliances. The aim of the SW Urology Group is for more Cancer Alliances to be involved so this can transform prostate cancer care nationwide. 

A short video about the dashboard can be seen below: