The impact of the Calman-Hine report on the processes and outcomes of care for Yorkshire's breast cancer patients

Abstract

Background: The 1995 Calman-Hine plan outlined radical reform of the UK's cancer services with the aim of improving outcomes and reducing inequalities in National Health Service cancer care. Its main recommendation was to concentrate care into the hands of site-specialist multidisciplinary teams. This study aimed to determine whether these teams improved processes and outcomes of care for breast cancer patients.

Patients and methods: All patients diagnosed and treated with breast cancer in the Yorkshire region of the UK from 1995 to 2000 were identified within the Northern and Yorkshire Cancer Registry and Information Service database. Changes in the use of breast-conserving surgery, adjuvant radiotherapy following breast-conserving surgery and 5-year survival were assessed among these patients in relation to their managing breast cancer team's degree of adherence to the manual of cancer service standards (which outlines the specification of the 'ideal' breast cancer team) and the extent of site specialisation of each team's surgeons.

Results: Variation was observed in the extent to which the breast cancer teams in Yorkshire had conformed to the Calman-Hine recommendations. Increases in adherence to the recommendations in the manual of cancer service standards were associated with a reduction in the use of breast-conserving surgery [odds ratio (OR) = 0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.70-0.98, P < 0.01]. Increases in both surgical specialisation (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.00-1.55, P = 0.06) and adherence to the manual of cancer service standards (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 0.97-1.52, P = 0.05) were associated with the increased use of radiotherapy following breast-conserving surgery. There was a trend towards improved 5-year survival (hazard ratio = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.86-1.01, P = 0.10) in relation to increasing surgical site specialisation. All these effects were present after adjustment for the casemix factors of age, stage of disease, socio-economic background and year of diagnosis.

Conclusions: The extent of implementation of the Calman-Hine report has been variable and, on the basis of limited clinical and organisational information available, its recommendations appear to be associated with improvements in processes and outcomes of care for breast cancer patients.