A PIONEERING cancer initiative led by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s faster diagnosis cancer nurses has been shortlisted for a prestigious Nursing Times Award.

The trust’s cancer nursing team have been named finalists in the Ingrid Fuchs Cancer Nursing Award category, in recognition of their work transforming how patients access life-saving diagnostics.

The nomination centres on an innovative self-referral model, developed and delivered by the trust’s faster diagnosis team, which enables patients to refer themselves directly into diagnostic pathways without needing to see a GP.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s lead faster diagnosis nurse, Jessica Barton, said the recognition was a proud moment for the team.

“We are absolutely delighted to be shortlisted for a Nursing Times Award,” she said. “This is recognition of a huge amount of work from a dedicated group of nurses and colleagues who are passionate about improving cancer care for our patients.”

The initiative was launched in response to concerns that too many patients were being diagnosed at a later stage, with traditional referral routes causing delays. Since its launch last year, the team has already seen thousands of patients and been able to detect cancers earlier.

Jessica explained: “We knew we needed to do something different if we were going to improve early diagnosis rates. One of the key challenges was that patients had to go through multiple steps before reaching the right diagnostic service, which could lead to delays.

“We wanted to remove those barriers and give patients a more direct route into care.”

The team began by introducing a self-referral pathway for post-menopausal bleeding, allowing patients to access a one-stop clinic without first visiting their GP.

“Our first pathway showed us what was possible,” Jessica said. “Patients were being assessed and diagnosed much more quickly, often within just a few days. It really demonstrated the impact of giving patients direct access to the right services.”

Building on that success, the approach was expanded to other pathways, including colorectal, breast and chest X-ray referrals, creating what is believed to be one of the most comprehensive self-referral cancer diagnostic programmes in the country.

Jessica said: “What makes this work so powerful is the scale of it. We haven’t just focused on one area, but have actually developed multiple pathways that reach different groups of patients and different types of cancer.

“It’s about making access to diagnostics simpler, faster and more equitable.”

Patients can now use a range of digital routes, including online platforms and the NHS App, to refer themselves into specialist services, reducing reliance on GP appointments and improving access for those who might otherwise have faced delays.

The programme has already attracted attention from across the NHS, with other organisations exploring how similar models could be adopted in their own services.

Jessica said: “We’ve had a lot of interest from teams across the country who are keen to learn from what we’ve done. That’s really encouraging, because it means the benefits we’re seeing here in Somerset could be replicated elsewhere.”

The winners of the Nursing Times Awards will be announced later this year.