Can a Dedicated Neuro-Oncology Ahp Service Reduce Length of Stay, Prevent Unnecessary Admission and Improve Patient Experience?

AIMS Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) working in a regional neuroscience centre identified a lack of access to ded- icated AHPs for patients with primary tumours. Two AHPs were seconded into the neuro-oncology service – to scope out the unmet need, develop a service model, collect evidence to prove its effectiveness, and secure permanent funding. METHODS Prospective data collection over a 6 month period included patient demographics and diagnosis, length of stay, hospital therapist intervention, frequency of readmission or emergency department attendance, the need for community health and social care, the quality of life (QoL) measure EQ-5D-5L and a local patient satisfaction survey. RESULTS A hundred and seventy three patients over 6 months were assessed, and assumed benefits identified. There was an 0.8 bed day reduction per inpatient admission, forecasting 98 bed days saved/year. 71% of patients (35) did not require inpatient therapy, significantly reducing the burden on inpatient services. 5% (9) of the patient cohort have received intervention that prevented a hospital admission. 10% of cases (17) have led to a reduction in length of stay within a district general hospital and 9% of patients (16) have not required the support of health and social care services which they otherwise would have. There was a slight reduction in overall QoL with a median change of -10 on self-reported visual analogue scale scoring (8), despite high levels (100%, 10) of patient satisfaction. CONCLUSION Patients with primary brain tumours in the surgical part of the pathway benefit significantly from dedicated AHPs support with patient satisfaction very high, despite a slight reduction in QoL. Data collection remains challenging due to the cohort, however the service provides cost savings and efficiencies at secondary, tertiary, community and social care provider levels.