Multidisciplinary follow-up of oral cavity cancer patients in a hub-and-spoke network: A service evaluation of a monthly post-treatment clinic in Swindon, United Kingdom
- 1Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Swindon, United Kingdom; Corresponding author. Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Swindon, United Kingdom.
- 2Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Swindon, United Kingdom
- 3Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Swindon, United Kingdom; Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
Abstract
Background: Head and neck cancer follow-up requires oncological surveillance together with multidisciplinary rehabilitation. The 2024 United Kingdom National Multidisciplinary Guidelines recommend follow-up in clinics at, or linked to, a head and neck treatment centre, with access to the wider multidisciplinary team. This service evaluation describes a spoke-based post-treatment oral cavity cancer clinic at Great Western Hospital (GWH), Swindon, linked to the Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) tertiary head and neck service. Methods: Service activity between November 2022 and August 2024 was reviewed descriptively. The clinic is held monthly, but individual patients attend according to guideline-based follow-up intervals. A locally developed anonymous patient-experience questionnaire was distributed between May and August 2024; overall satisfaction used a 10-point numerical rating scale and free-text responses explored perceived benefits and opportunities for improvement. Results: Sixty-one patients attended the clinic and seven recurrences (11%) were identified during follow-up. No cancer-related emergency department attendances were recorded in the service-evaluation dataset. Thirty patients completed the questionnaire; all rated overall satisfaction as 9 or 10 out of 10 and 93% reported no change was required. Frequently reported benefits were coordinated same-day specialist review, continuity with a consistent team and reduced travel. Conclusion: A hub-and-spoke model can deliver guideline-aligned surveillance and multidisciplinary rehabilitation closer to patients' homes while retaining a direct route back to the tertiary cancer service. The most transferable elements of the Swindon model are consultant continuity across hub and spoke sites, coordinated rehabilitation, prospective pathway tracking by a dedicated coordinator and rapid re-escalation to the tertiary MDT when recurrence or complex morbidity is suspected.
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BibTeX
@article{gebahi2026multidisciplinary,
title = {{Multidisciplinary follow-up of oral cavity cancer patients in a hub-and-spoke network: A service evaluation of a monthly post-treatment clinic in Swindon, United Kingdom}},
author = {Fatma Gebahi and Meenakshi Mandi Jayaram and Ioanna Dimasi and Runa Hussain and Cheryl Davidse and Gemma Hudson and Gillian Franklin and Joanne Barrett and Montey Garg},
journal = {Advances in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1016/j.adoms.2026.100741},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adoms.2026.100741},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Multidisciplinary follow-up of oral cavity cancer patients in a hub-and-spoke network: A service evaluation of a monthly post-treatment clinic in Swindon, United Kingdom
AU - Fatma Gebahi
AU - Meenakshi Mandi Jayaram
AU - Ioanna Dimasi
AU - Runa Hussain
AU - Cheryl Davidse
AU - Gemma Hudson
AU - Gillian Franklin
AU - Joanne Barrett
AU - Montey Garg
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/11
JO - Advances in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
DO - 10.1016/j.adoms.2026.100741
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adoms.2026.100741
AB - Background: Head and neck cancer follow-up requires oncological surveillance together with multidisciplinary rehabilitation. The 2024 United Kingdom National Multidisciplinary Guidelines recommend follow-up in clinics at, or linked to, a head and neck treatment centre, with access to the wider multidisciplinary team. This service evaluation describes a spoke-based post-treatment oral cavity cancer clinic at Great Western Hospital (GWH), Swindon, linked to the Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) tertiary head and neck service. Methods: Service activity between November 2022 and August 2024 was reviewed descriptively. The clinic is held monthly, but individual patients attend according to guideline-based follow-up intervals. A locally developed anonymous patient-experience questionnaire was distributed between May and August 2024; overall satisfaction used a 10-point numerical rating scale and free-text responses explored perceived benefits and opportunities for improvement. Results: Sixty-one patients attended the clinic and seven recurrences (11%) were identified during follow-up. No cancer-related emergency department attendances were recorded in the service-evaluation dataset. Thirty patients completed the questionnaire; all rated overall satisfaction as 9 or 10 out of 10 and 93% reported no change was required. Frequently reported benefits were coordinated same-day specialist review, continuity with a consistent team and reduced travel. Conclusion: A hub-and-spoke model can deliver guideline-aligned surveillance and multidisciplinary rehabilitation closer to patients' homes while retaining a direct route back to the tertiary cancer service. The most transferable elements of the Swindon model are consultant continuity across hub and spoke sites, coordinated rehabilitation, prospective pathway tracking by a dedicated coordinator and rapid re-escalation to the tertiary MDT when recurrence or complex morbidity is suspected.
SN - 2667-1476
ER -