Non site specific

NHS Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance (KMCA) is funding a number of new services called non-site-specific symptom services (NSS).

What is non-site-specific (NSS)?

Non-site-specific symptoms services recognise that some cancers can present with vague symptoms that may not fit within the referral criteria of a single cancer pathway.

We know that patients may present to their GP on multiple occasions with vague but concerning symptoms, which may be suggestive of cancer.

For this reason, we have established services across Kent and Medway to rapidly investigate patients with a range of vague symptoms.

These services operate in line with other urgent suspected cancer referral pathways, aiming to give patients a definitive diagnosis within 28 days.

Locations

As of March 2024, there is a NSS service in each of Kent and Medway's four health and care partnership (HCP) areas as follows:

Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley: Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust - based at Darent Valley Hospital, Dartford (since October 2022)
East Kent: East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust - based at Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Buckland Hospital Dover and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate (since 26 February 2024)
Medway and Swale: Medway NHS Foundation Trust - based at Medway Maritime Hospital, Gillingham (since 1 June 2023)
West Kent: Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust - based at Maidstone Hospital (since 1 December 2023).

The following roles are part of all NSS teams across Kent and Medway:

Consultant clinical lead
Clinical nurse specialist (CNS)
General practitioner (GP) lead
Pathway navigator: to be the first point of contact for patients and to support the team with administrative duties.

NSS Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust

NSS East Kent University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Screening and early diagnosis

Our screening and early diagnosis work focuses on breaking down barriers to increase the number of people who take up screening and raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer to reduce health and health care inequalities across Kent and Medway.

Faster diagnosis

The NHS Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) requires patients to be diagnosed or have cancer ruled out within 28 days of being referred urgently by their GP for suspected cancer. For patients who are diagnosed with cancer, it means their treatment can begin as soon as possible. For those who are not, they can have their minds put at rest more…

Personalised care and support

Personalised care means giving patients more choice and control over their care, based on what matters most to them as individuals. It is a partnership between people with cancer and their professional team.

Innovation

Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance (KMCA) is one of eight cancer alliances to participate in the Galleri-GRAIL clinical trial. The trial aims to prove whether the Galleri-GRAIL test is effective in diagnosing up to 50 types of cancer by looking for DNA markers in the blood.