Insights into the world of thoracic surgery in England have been published by the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland (SCTS) to mark the first anniversary of consultant thoracic surgeons getting access to the National Consultant Information Programme (NCIP).
The latest SCTS bulletin features an article by NCIP clinical lead Doug West, focusing on the lung resection data revealed in the first year of the portal being opened to thoracic surgeons in December 2024.
For example, NCIP shows that in 2024-25, 6,875 lobectomies were performed in England, along with 3,546 segmentectomies, 915 wedge resections and 658 pneumonectomies.
Mr West, a consultant thoracic surgeon at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, said:
"The first year of the thoracic surgery NCIP programme has been a unique insight into lung surgery at a time of rapid change.
We now know, of example, that in the past three years the two most common operations (lobectomy and segmentectomy) have increased by 17% and 34%. These operations are mostly performed for lung cancer, the UK's most common cause of cancer death. A major part of this growth is due to NHS England's lung cancer screening programme, which aims to diagnose cancers early enough for curative treatment.
The surgery we perform is changing rapidly too. Two-thirds of patients now spend the night before surgery at home and are admitted on the morning of their procedure, while 80-90% receive ‘keyhole' or minimal access operations.
The growth of robotic surgery has been particularly rapid. Before the Covid pandemic fewer than 3% of operations used robotic assistance. Today, about one in four operations will use a robot.”
The NCIP portal – part of the GIRFT programme – is a free data platform showing consultant surgeons their personal procedure data, enabling them to review their practice to help improve clinical quality and patient safety and to support their appraisal, revalidation and career development. A phased rollout of NCIP has been under way since 2023 to eventually grant access to data to across all specialties. More than 4,400 consultants across England are now using the portal regularly.
NCIP data became available to all NHS consultant thoracic surgeons in England in 2024, allowing access to demographic, comorbidity and outcome data on the most common thoracic operations. It is available without cost and updated quarterly. Of 133 consultant thoracic surgeons given access, 69 (52%) are using the portal regularly.
Mr West added:
"This first year has been a great success, and it is pleasing to see these insights now beginning to come through. I would urge all thoracic surgeons in England to log into the NCIP portal and review their data – doing so will help improve patient safety and clinical quality, as well as supporting your learning and development.”
