Published on 5 February 2026
and Clinical Decisions Unit with Ward Manager Theresa Gimson
The Government has launched its 10-year National Cancer Plan today but the NHS in Cheshire and Merseyside has already been leading the way nationally as the first health system to develop an urgent cancer care strategy and transformation programme spanning 111, primary and community care, acute hospitals, specialist cancer services.
The Plan, launched on World Cancer Day, sets out a bold, long-term approach to improving cancer outcomes, experience and equity over the next decade. The central ambition is that by 2035, three in four people diagnosed with cancer will be cancer-free, or living well with cancer after five years, delivering the fastest improvement in cancer survival this century.
One of the areas that the NHS in Cheshire and Merseyside is already working towards that goal is to improve the outcomes for cancer patients who attend hospital in an emergency.
Around 45,000 people with cancer attended emergency departments (ED, also known as A&E) across Cheshire and Merseyside in 2025. Nationally, cancer patients are four times more likely than other patients to end up being admitted when they attend EDs, and Cheshire and Merseyside data shows around 50% could get the care they need in other settings.
People with cancer can need emergency care for many reasons. Cancer treatments can have potentially serious side-effects, people can become very poorly or develop severe symptoms linked to their cancer, and some people only discover they have cancer after seeking emergency treatment because they felt so unwell.
And the increasing complexity of cancer care – with people staying on treatment for longer, new therapies with potentially serious short and long-term side-effects, and patients with other health conditions as well as cancer – means it is important to have the right services in place when someone needs urgent advice or emergency care.
That’s why NHS services across Cheshire and Merseyside have been working together to enhance urgent and emergency care for people with cancer, with greater access to treatment and advice that helps them avoid EDs where possible.
It involves teams from The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, primary care, community teams, urgent treatment centres (UTCs), same day emergency care (SDEC) services and other specialist teams joining forces to help patients get expert advice and care in the most appropriate setting.
Staff in primary, community and secondary care can contact colleagues at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre to get their specialist input on a patient’s care, reducing the need for them to be admitted to hospital for assessment. Similarly, staff at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre can also now refer patients directly to urgent community care services, same day emergency care and other suitable support.
The changes so far include:
- A new virtual cancer ward as part of the Hospital at Home service for Cheshire West and Chester. Suitable patients can now be cared for at home by the community team – an advanced nurse practitioner from The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre has been embedded with the team to provide specialist oncology support. Patients with possible spinal complications from cancer can also now have their initial assessments at home, instead of being sent straight to ED or The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre’s Hotline service – which provides 24/7 support for patients who need urgent clinical advice or care – can now directly refer people directly to any suitable service including urgent community response, urgent treatment centres and same day emergency care. Previously patients had to be referred there via their GP, 111 or an ED. The Hotline team also now includes a senior clinical decision-maker (a doctor or advanced nurse practitioner) with the expertise to handle patients with more complex complications or side effects, reducing demand on ED.
- Same day emergency care (SDEC) pathways for patients with serious cancer-related problems. For example, cancer patients with suspected pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in the lung) or low-risk neutropenic sepsis (a complication that can develop from an infection) can now be referred to the same day emergency care service at Whiston Hospital. Experts in acute medicine assess and treat patients, with input from cancer specialists if needed.
Debra Hill, from St Helens, was diagnosed with advanced cancer in 2021 and welcomes the changes, having needed emergency care in the past for treatment side effects. Debra, who is also a Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance patient representative, said: “My legs started throbbing and cramping after one session of treatment. It was so bad, I was literally screaming with pain and was told go straight to A&E. When you have cancer, you are more at risk of infections. My cancer has spread to my spine so I also worry what any symptoms or pain might mean in relation to my cancer.
“Being able to call the Hotline or your cancer nurse for advice and then get referred to other urgent care outside A&E, if suitable, is a fantastic idea. It is very reassuring to know there is support now to help some people with cancer avoid A&E. It’s a step in the right direction to have different NHS teams working together like this.”
Joan Spencer, Senior Responsible Officer for Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance and The Urgent Cancer Care Programme Board and Chief Executive of The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, said: “There’s an increasing demand for urgent and emergency care pathways that keep patients out of A&E. Collaborating with teams across different organisations dedicated to improving cancer care has been a privilege, and the progress we’ve made together is truly inspiring.
“With cancer cases on the rise and treatments becoming more specialised, it’s crucial to build strong links between primary and community care, hospital urgent care, and specialist cancer services. Patients should be able to get the right care in the right place, instead of automatically going to emergency departments when experiencing symptoms or treatment side effects.”
Dr Ayo Olatoye, Consultant in Acute Medicine and AMU SDEC Lead, Whiston Hospital, said: “By working closely with our colleagues at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, we’re able to offer people with cancer quick access to same day emergency care without needing to go through the Emergency Department.
“Patients are seen by doctors who understand the complications of cancer and its treatments, can manage their immediate medical needs, and can speak directly with oncology specialists, when required, to make sure they get the right management straight away and where possible without an overnight stay in hospital. This joined‑up approach helps people feel more supported, reduces time spent in hospital, and can significantly improve the patients’ overall experience.”
Alexandra James, Nurse Consultant and Clinical Lead of the Hospital at Home team in Cheshire West and Chester, said: “By working closely with The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, we’re able to bring people, services and expertise together in a way that really makes a difference for patients. It helps us improve communication, avoid unnecessary duplication and make sure care is better coordinated, safer and delivered closer to home.”