The Practice Recognition Award is a new initiative by the NCL Cancer Alliance to support, recognise and showcase improvements in cancer care across general practice. Practices can achieve a bronze, silver, or gold level based on their engagement with key improvement areas, such as early diagnosis, screening, personalised care and patient experience. The award is starting with a pilot of the bronze level, which inform future silver and gold plans.

To achieve the bronze award, practices need to:

• complete a baseline survey
• participate in relevant learning and support activities
• submit evidence of improvements in at least one cancer care area (e.g. screening, early diagnosis, cancer care reviews)
• develop a cancer care statement
• show engagement with patient experience feedback

Complete the expression of interest form to register your interest.

All NCL GP practices are encouraged to apply regardless of size or location. NCLCA want to select practices that have a motivation to improve cancer care and/or have identified a specific area of improvement that they would like support with.

Selection will prioritise:

• motivation to improve cancer care
• practices who have specific improvement areas identified
• equity of practice type (e.g. all NCL boroughs, practices in localities with higher levels of health inequality, larger and smaller practices)

Selected practices will be contacted to complete a baseline questionnaire and invited to an online introduction session in early September (provisional date: Wednesday 3 September, 12-1pm). This session will go through the requirements in more depth.

Practices can consider making improvements in the following areas:

• improving early diagnosis priority (particularly for practices in PCNs that our outliers for early diagnosis in specific tumour sites)
• screening performance (e.g. increase uptake for breast, bowel, cervical, prostate)
• cancer care reviews (e.g. improving 3/12-month cancer care review completion rates)
• best practice adoption (e.g. safety netting, non-specific symptom/rapid diagnostic centres, FIT)
• improving patient experience (e.g. use of cancer champions)
• quality improvement opportunities (e.g. case finding, personalised care)

NCLCA is looking for 25+ practices to participate in the pilot and evaluation. If interest is significantly higher, then they may need to limit the number of practices that participate.

All the information and learning resources will be made available to all practices on the NCL GP website. Practices that can demonstrate that they have completed the different aspects of the award will be eligible for the award.

NCLCA will consider a group of practices applying as a PCN, though each participating practice will need to be named.

Complete the expression of interest form by Thursday 7 August.

Contact uclh.ncl.primarycarecancer@nhs.net if you have any other questions.

Practices will need to submit:

• a completed checklist and action plan
• evidence of activities and improvements
• a cancer care statement
• patient feedback and QI outputs

Yes. The programme supports quality improvement, staff training, and the use of patient feedback. All of which are aligned with CQC Well-led and Effective domains.

Yes. Participation in the Cancer Recognition Award will offer CPD-accredited components via the Cancer Academy e-learning and in-person activities.

Practices selected to participate will be invited to complete and submit a short form that briefly outlines how they plan to spend any grant funding. The grant must be spent on activities that support the practice to meet the award requirements (e.g. paying for staff time or backfill cover). Funding can be spent on any agreed cancer-related QI projects, though practices must complete the other award requirements.

Participating practices will be able to access a share £50,000 NCLCA primary care grant fund. £1-2,000 will be offered to participating practices. The amount will vary depending on the level of interest in the pilot.

NCLCA will work with practices to provide funding in the form of a grant. The grant will be paid after the practice submits the funding request form.

Support includes:

• access to e-learning and best practice toolkits
• 1:1 advice from borough cancer leads
• support from the Cancer Alliance
• peer learning opportunities and forums

Recognition of your practice’s cancer care efforts

• access to tailored improvement support and funding
• opportunities for staff development and CPD
• demonstrable alignment with CQC and national priorities
• improved patient outcomes and experience

NCLCA encourage practices to consider other cancer-focused quality improvement that supports cancer care. Funding can be used to support the delivery of quality improvement projects, though practices must complete the other award requirements. NCLCA will share a menu of example projects that can be adopted locally.

• EOI submission: deadline Thursday 7 August 2025
• practice selection: mid-late August 2025
• complete baseline survey: late August 2025
• information session for participating practices: September 2025 (provisional time Wednesday 3 September, 12-1pm)
• ongoing support: September 2025–March 2026
• evaluation and recognition: Spring 2026

Yes, the evaluation includes:

• before and after comparison using the baseline survey
• review of submitted practice evidence
• optional participation in qualitative feedback/focus group

Yes. While one person will act as the main point of contact, practices are encouraged to involve both clinical and non-clinical team members across the improvement areas.

Yes. NCLCA understand practices are at different starting points. Even partial progress (e.g. attending training, developing a care statement) is valuable and will be recognised. The bronze award is designed to support incremental improvement.

This should outline your practice’s commitment to delivering compassionate, timely and personalised cancer care. A template is provided and practices can adapt it to reflect local values and population needs.

Practices will be recognised at a borough or alliance level, and may be invited to:

• present their work at NCL events
• progress to silver or gold tier
• support peer practices

Practices are strongly encouraged to gather patient or carer feedback, especially from those with a cancer diagnosis. This could be via surveys, comment cards, or input from Patient Participation Groups. We will provide support and guidance on patient involvement.

Yes. Participation in the award and its associated CPD activities can be included in staff appraisals or portfolios for revalidation.