Peer Review
National Cancer Peer Review (NCPR) is a national quality assurance programme for NHS cancer services. The programme involves both self-assessment by cancer service teams and external reviews of teams conducted by professional peers, against nationally agreed “quality measures”.
NCPR is managed by the National Cancer Action Team and is an integral part of the NHS Cancer Reform Strategy (2007) and the overall NHS Cancer Programme, led by the National Cancer Director.
The National Cancer Peer Review Programme aims to improve care for people with cancer and their families by:
- ensuring services are as safe as possible;
- improving the quality and effectiveness of care;
- improving the patient and carer experience;
- undertaking independent, fair reviews of services;
- providing development and learning for all involved;
- encouraging the dissemination of good practice.
The outcomes of National Cancer Peer Review Programme are:
- confirmation of the quality of cancer services;
- speedy identification of major shortcomings in the quality of cancer services where they occur so that rectification can take place;
- published reports that provide accessible public information about the quality of cancer services;
- timely information for local commissioning as well as for specialised commissioners in the designation of cancer services;
- validated information which is available to other stakeholders.
Page last edited: 06 December 2011
