The content of this page is aimed at providing information and guidance on SACT to healthcare professionals. Information for patients can be found HERE.
Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapies (SACT) Clinical Group
SACT Clinical Lead: Dr Catherine Bale (Betsi Cadwaladr UHB)
SACT Nurse Lead: Dr Rosie Roberts (Velindre NHS Trust)
SACT Pharmacy Leads: Diana Matthews (Velindre NHS Trust), Tracy Parry (Betsi Cadwaladr UHB) and Gail Povey (Swansea Bay UHB)
The All Wales SACT Group meets three times a year and aims to provide a strategic lead for national SACT priorities, enabling a coordinated approach for developments such as e-prescribing, SACT datasets, and the coordination and monitoring of horizon scanning for cancer drugs, ensuring accessibility on a "once for Wales" basis. The group also ratifies All Wales SACT guidelines and facilitates representation on UK-wide groups such:
For further information on the All Wales SACT Group, please contact WCN.WalesCancerNetwork@wales.nhs.uk
SACT Group Distribution List
Please follow the below link to the Distribution List Form. This should take you less than a minute to complete. By completing this form you will be entered onto Wales Cancer Network's directory of SACT staff, and will be contacted usually by email on topics that may interest you. Your information will be held securely by the Wales Cancer Network and will not be shared or distributed. The information held will be used only by Wales Cancer Network staff.
Click here for the Distribution List
All Wales Immunotherapy Toxicity Group
The All Wales Immunotherapy Toxicity Group has been established by the Wales Cancer Network as a subgroup of the All Wales Acute Oncology Service (AOS) Group and All Wales Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) Group. It aims to provide a strategic lead for immunotherapy toxicity priorities and a forum for the ratification of all Wales guidelines enabling a coordinated approach to service provision.
National Immuno-oncology (IO) Education Forum
The National IO Education Forum is open to all healthcare professionals regardless of experience; the only requirement is an interest in immunotherapy and a desire to improve patient care. The meetings take place virtually via Microsoft Teams on the first Thursday of every month at 1pm regardless of the date it falls on and lasts no more than 1 hour. If you are interested in joining the National IO Education Forum, please contact the team on VCCNational.IOEducationForum@wales.nhs.uk
Immunotherapy Toxicity Group Distribution List
Please follow the below link to the Distribution List Form. This should take you less than a minute to complete. By completing this form you will be entered onto Wales Cancer Network's directory of Immunotherapy Toxicity staff, and will be contacted usually by email on topics that may interest you. Your information will be held securely by the Wales Cancer Network and will not be shared or distributed. The information held will be used only by Wales Cancer Network staff.
Click here for the Distribution List
Medicines Management Sub-Group
The group meets three times a year and aims to provide a multidisciplinary platform for making consensus recommendations relating to the best-practice use of SACT and SACT-supporting medicines, ensuring equity of access and optimisation of use. It also provides strategic leadership for medicines management priorities of the All Wales SACT Group.
This enables a coordinated approach for developments such as ePrescribing, SACT dataset, horizon scanning, governance and accessibility, and prioritising a Once-for-Wales approach, ensuring delivery against national standards agreed by the All Wales SACT Group.
(TOR to be added in due course)
Click here for the Medicines Management Sub-Group
SACT Pharmacy Distribution List
Please follow the below link to the Distribution List form. This should take you less than a minute to complete. By completing this form you will be entered onto Wales Cancer Network's directory of SACT Pharmacy staff, and will be contacted usually by email on topics that may interest you. Your information will be held securely by the Wales Cancer Network and will not be shared or distributed. The information held will be used only by Wales Cancer Network staff.
Click here for the Distribution List
UK SACT Board prescriber competencies for reviewing and prescribing SACT
The UK SACT board prescriber competencies for reviewing and prescribing SACT here are endorsed by the NHS Wales Cancer Network.
The purpose of this document is to give guidance and standardisation to healthcare providers, supporting oncology and haematology pharmacists, nurse and other Allied Health Professional (AHP) non-medical prescriber (NMP) to undertake the prescribing of SACT. It provides competencies that detail the knowledge and skills needed to safely prescribe SACT.
It is also recommended that this guidance be used to demonstrate and record competency for medical prescribers working at ST level and above, who are prescribing and reviewing patients receiving SACT. It can be utilised for formal competency recording for doctors in oncology and haematology training programmes.
UKONS SACT Administration Competency Passport
The UKONS SACT Administration Competency Passport is the agreed standard for administration of SACT.
Please note that with the development of the digital version of the SACT passport the PDF version 4 in the link above is no longer the most up to date version. It is anticipated that version 4 will be withdrawn by the end of 2024. We recommend that you look at adopting the digital version which has many advantages for learners and assessors. Full details of how to get started with the digital version can be found on the UKONS website. (You would need to be a member to access this resource). or by contacting ukons@compassly.com
Clinical Resources
Cisplatin Hydration
The purpose of this protocol is to standardise hydration schedules and administration of cisplatin chemotherapy for adult patients across Wales.
Written patient information should be provided, however, click here for the suggested templates that may be adapted and used if suitable.
Tumour Lysis Syndrome
This document outlines prevention and management guidelines for tumour lysis syndrome, for adult patients across Wales.
Cancer Network Guideline for prevention and management of tumour lysis syndrome
Further protocols are in development and will be published soon.
Guidance on SACT Dose Reductions in Renal or Hepatic Impairment
This peer reviewed Lancet guidance for dose reductions of SACT in renal and hepatic impairment has been endorsed as a primary source of information by the Medicines Management Subgroup, SACT Nurse Forum and All Wales SACT Group.
Reference to the relevant summary of product characteristics should also be referred to for further information if required.
Education videos have been developed for patients and their families in both Welsh and English to provide information regarding SACT, side effects and related information. For more information, click here:
Patient Information Videos - NHS Wales Executive
The All Wales Cancer Treatment Alert Cards have been developed for patients receiving SACT. There are three versions available:
For more information on the cards, including instructions for use and for re-ordering, please click here.
Translations for non English / Welsh speakers
Translations of the patient information sections of the alert cards are available in some commonly requested languages. These are available below and can be downloaded and printed as required. This translated information must be attached to the English/Welsh card so that the guidance for healthcare professionals is available to all staff managing the patients care. A translator should be used to provide a full explanation when the card is given to the patient.
Cancer Network staff are currently working on translating and proof-reading translations in additional languages – if you are able to assist with this, or have any requests for translation, please contact us.
Chinese - Chemotherapy and DPD
Romanian - Chemotherapy and DPD
Russian - Chemotherapy and DPD
The All Wales SACT Group collaborates with a range of national groups. Key groups include:
SACT Nurse Forum
(TOR to be added in due course)
The SACT Nurse Forum has been established to provide nurses from across Wales an opportunity to share best practice through collaboration and to collectively inform the development of practice and workforce standards. The forum is chaired by Dr Rosie Roberts (Velindre NHS Trust). For further information please contact Rosie via the Cancer Network's generic email: wcn.walescancernetwork@wales.nhs.uk
Genomics
The Wales Cancer Network has set up the All Wales Genomics Oncology Group (AWGOG) to facilitate a multidisciplinary and coordinated national approach to the development and implementation of oncology-specific genomic services provided by the All Wales Medical Genomics Service (AWMGS).
For further information about Genomics and AWGOG, please CLICK HERE.
AOS
The All Wales AOS Group was established by the Wales Cancer Network and aims to provide a strategic lead for national acute oncology priorities and a forum for the ratification of All Wales developments enabling a coordinated approach, for example in the development of AOS datasets, pathways, documents and support tools in order to ensure a standardised, cohesive acute oncology service for Wales.
For further information about AOS and the All Wales AOS Group, please CLICK HERE.
All Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre (AWTTC)
AWTTC is an NHS Wales organisation that works with patients, carers, patient organisations, healthcare professionals, the pharmaceutical industry, Welsh Government and other relevant UK organisations to recommend and ensure appropriate and effective use of medicines.
For further information about AWTTC, please CLICK HERE.
All Wales Horizon Scanning Group
(Terms of Reference)
This group is constituted by members of AWTTC, AWGOG, histopathology and pharmacists representing the different specialities and health boards across Wales. They meet once a month to discuss treatments that are being proposed to NICE for approval and go through the possible impact these will have in terms of testing required, service provision, financial costs, and place within the current treatment pathway. This allows NHS Wales to be ready to deliver the new treatment as quickly as possible from the moment NICE approves it.
All Wales Bi-specific Antibody Sub - Group
(TOR to be added in due course)
The All Wales Bi-specific Antibody Sub-Group has been established by the Cancer Network as a subgroup of the All Wales Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) Group. It aims to provide a forum for sharing best practice and develop tools and guidelines to support local services to manage the safe introduction of these new medicines into clinical practice. The group will also provide advice and a strategic steer for Bi- specific antibodies enabling a coordinated approach to service provision across Wales.
Distribution List
Please follow the below link to the Distribution List form. This should take you less than a minute to complete. By completing this form you will be entered onto Wales Cancer Network's directory of staff, and will be contacted usually by email on topics that may interest you. Your information will be held securely by the Wales Cancer Network and will not be shared or distributed. The information held will be used only by Wales Cancer Network staff.
Click here for the Distribution List
Peer Review
Peer review is a collaborative quality improvement process, which allows for the evaluation of scientific, academic or professional work by others working in the same field.
It constitutes a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession, encouraging peers to share information, learn where their strengths and weaknesses lie and agree plans for improvements to patient care.
Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards of quality, improve performance and provide credibility.
A national steering group within NHS Wales was involved in the development of the peer review measures which were designed to assess the quality and performance of SACT against the All Wales National Standards for SACT (December 2020). This is the first time that SACT has been reviewed in Wales.
Peer Review is a cyclical review – therefore SACT services will once again be reviewed in coming years.
All SACT services in Wales must take part in Peer Review and services will in future be measured against relevant national standards.
For further information about Peer Review, please CLICK HERE.
SACT Dataset
All SACT services are required to collect data in line with:
The National Cancer National Cancer Data Standards for Wales – Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) were approved in December 2020.
Quality Performance Indicators (QPIs)
Alongside the Cancer Minimum Reporting Requirements for Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT), two QPIs that aim to measure the quality of the service and patient care and will provide intelligence and insight to help drive service improvement, have now been developed.
The QPIs are as follows:
The detail and parameters of the data that needs to be captured to support these QPIs has been developed and agreed by two working groups, consisting of nurses, oncologists, haematologists and pharmacists working in SACT services across Wales. This detail can be found in the SACT Clinical Quality Performance Indicators document.
Click here for the QPI document.
All Health Boards and Trusts in Wales have started capturing data in line with the agreed Quality Performance Indicators (QPIs) with the goal of reporting this data to the All Wales SACT Group. This process enables Health Boards to identify any issues with current reporting processes or systems, which can then be brought to the national group for discussion and support.
For further information on the SACT Clinical Quality Performance Indicators, please contact WCN.WalesCancerNetwork@wales.nhs.uk
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
NICE offers evidence-based guidelines and advice for practitioners in health, public health and social care.
For further information on NICE guidance for Cancer, please CLICK HERE.
National SACT Consent Forms
The All Wales SACT Group endorse the National SACT Consent Forms hosted on the CRUK Website.
The Wales representatives for the National Consent Form Steering Group are Dr Rosie Roberts (Velindre NHS Trust) and Grant Mehrjou (Velindre NHS Trust).
UK SACT Board
UK SACT Board’s Website
The main purpose of the UK SACT board is to provide guidance, oversight and support for the continuing development of SACT services in the UK.
The Wales representative for the UK SACT Board is Dr Catherine Bale (Betsi Cadwaladr UHB). If you have any queries or feedback about the workstreams of the UK SACT board, please contact Dr Bale via the generic WCN email wcn.walescancernetwork@wales.nhs.uk
Representation from the following National bodies:
Current workstreams:
Click Here to view current workstreams.