A leading clinician has been appointed to head up a new GIRFT workstream reviewing lower gastrointestinal (LGI) cancer surgery across England, with a focus on improving care for patients with rectal (lower bowel) cancer.
Alastair Simpson – a consultant colorectal and general surgeon at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and clinical director of the East Midlands Cancer Alliance – is now in post and beginning work on data collection and analysis, ahead of a series of peer reviews at Cancer Alliance level.
Reviews will aim to assess specialist practice, identify providers of complex procedures and evaluate service distribution. Key priorities include ensuring appropriate surgical volumes, preventing low-volume activity, delivering a high-quality rectal cancer service, and reviewing stoma reversal rates to support best practice.
A consequent national report will summarise findings and providing strategic recommendations for service improvement, with the aim of reducing waiting lists and improving patient access, experience and outcomes.
Mr Simpson is also honorary associate professor at the University of Nottingham.
“I am very excited to be involved in this timely and valuable national project. I hope that GIRFT’s strategic development of rectal cancer services across England will align patients and clinicians with appropriate specialist services that are necessary for effective rectal cancer diagnosis and treatment. In turn, this will ensure that LGI cancer services continue to strive to be at the forefront of international cancer care.”
Bowel cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in the UK, with around 44,100 new cases diagnosed each year—approximately 120 cases per day. The risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with age and over 43% of cases are diagnosed in people over the age of 75. However, there is a widely reported trend of bowel cancer increasingly affecting younger people.
The new workstream will involve working collaboratively with stakeholders including the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Cancer Alliances and the NHSE Cancer Programme.
"Alastair is a welcome addition to the GIRFT clinical leadership team and I’m delighted to have him in post for this national review of lower GI surgery. I’ve no doubt his work and that of the wider GIRFT team will be invaluable in reducing waiting times for surgery and ensuring patients with bowel cancer can not only access the care they need in a timely way but also get the best experience and outcomes from the NHS.”
