Background 

In 2025 we piloted a face-to-face educational session with non-clinical colleagues, including care coordinators and care navigators, designed and delivered by our passionate CMCA GP cancer leads from across Cheshire and Merseyside. After positive evaluation and a clear appetite from attendees to learn more, we are delivering three more face-to-face educational sessions to open the training to a wider audience. 

We have also developed this area on the Cancer Academy to house materials and resources that we have developed or recommend to you to support you and your teams in your role on a day-to-day basis. The development of this resource area is ongoing. If you would like to share feedback or any suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the team on ccf-tr.cmcaprimarycareengagement@nhs.net.

We delivered three separate events for non-clinical colleagues across Cheshire and Merseyside, with excellent attendance and strong engagement throughout. Attendees were encouraged to make a commitment to support and promote the programme within their roles.

Please feel free to use the slides and resources below to share this knowledge with colleagues and continue the conversation within your teams.

Cancer Aware: Empowering Non-Clinical Teams Handbook
Non-Clinical Event Slides

Clarification and practical advice for non-clinical staff around the types of FIT testing, how they should be used appropriately, and practical aspects to manage patients questions.

Symptomatic vs screening FIT - what's the difference?

A useful brief summary of important patient symptoms that may raise the suspicion of cancer. We recommend printing out a copy for GP reception desks as a prompt when dealing with patient queries.

Red Flag Symptoms

The PRACTICE Dashboard, (PRimary care Analytical Cancer Tool to Inform Collaborate and Evaluate), was developed by CMCA to ensure the availability of up to date cancer data across Cheshire and Merseyside.

Data can be accessed at Place, PCN and practice level which can be useful for practice administrative staff who are involved in improvements in primary care, preparation for the GP Quality and Improvement framework and Local and Direct Enhanced services.

Using the most up to date versions of the CMCA urgent suspected referral forms is vital. The recommended CMCA urgent suspected cancer referral forms can be found here.

The forms are useful for administrative staff who may be involved in their implementation as well as reception staff who may want to familiarise themselves with the process to support with patient queries.

Link to EMIS Consultation Referral Templates: Consultation Templates with Cancer Guidance

Urgent cancer care is about getting the right care at the right place, first time.
Patients may present to you at the front desk for one of 3 reasons

  1. A new emergency diagnosis
  2. Side effects of cancer treatment
  3. Worsening symptoms related to cancer progression and other comorbidities                                                                              

Did you know there is a nurse led hotline operating 24/7 365 days a year to support patients? You might find it helpful to have the details of this hotline available to the team at reception.

For Patients

Who can use this service?

Patients currently receiving treatment or who have recently finished treatment.

How to contact the hotline:

0800 169 5555

The Number is also available on the CCC patient leaflet and Website.

What happens when you call?

You'll hear a call options menu so your call can be directed appropriately:

  • Appointments
  • Secretary / Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
  • Cancer Advice Hotline

You'll then be put through to a trained hotline adviser. 

For Healthcare Professionals

Who is this For?

Healthcare professionals calling for advice and guidance about a cancer patient. 

How to contact the service:

0151 556 5917

Ask for bleep number 9104

Alternatively, search for "Cancer treatment medical advice line" on the NHS Service Finder.

What happens next?

Calls are answered via a direct line and escalated to the on-call registrar when needed.

A useful brief summary of current UK cancer screening programmes in the UK to support non-clinical staff obtain a better understanding of each criteria. 

We recommend printing out a copy for GP reception desks as a prompt when dealing with patient queries.

Cancer Screening
Cancer Screening Codes

This educational programme was developed by the Health Inequalities Patient Experience (HIPE) team at the Alliance. It aims to highlight important and practical barriers that may hinder patients accessing cancer care as well as ways to overcome it.

ACCEND Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development is designed to enhance the skills and knowledge of the workforce providing cancer care. Care-coordinators and nonclinical staff may find certain areas of the training programme useful to develop and improve their understanding of cancer care and support their own personal development.