Multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings have been a central feature of cancer care since the 1990s. In recent years evidence has emerged to suggest that MDT meetings are not functioning as effectively as they might, including in North Central and East London.
The MDT Improvement programme was established within the School for Multidisciplinary Cancer Team Effectiveness in order to respond to opportunities to optimise MDT functioning. We have received funding from UCL Partners, NHS England, and the UCLH Charity to support an ambitious programme of education, training and improvement support to cancer MDTs in North Central and East London.
Through this programme, doctors, nurses and AHPs will act as coaches paired with a specific MDT over a period of 3-6 months, during which they will observe meeting functioning, make recommendations for improvement, and provide coaching to support leads, chairs and others to implement change.
Coaches will be provided with training in an initial 2-3 day masterclass, and offered ongoing CPD support to:
- Undertake MDT observations, using structured tools
- Facilitate group conversations
- Give feedback to MDTs
- Coach groups and individual MDT members to support them to implement change
CPD points will be awarded for undertaking training and coaching activities, as well as certification of time spent preparing and coaching, which can be used for revalidation or other CPD requirements.
Coaches will need to be available for approximately half a day a week to carry out this role, from the point of completing the initial masterclass, and funding is available for additional PAs or backfill costs to support clinicians undertaking this role, until the end of March 2019.
Doctors, nurses, and AHPs with experience of working in cancer MDT meetings. Ideal coaches will have had experience delivering improvement projects or working to develop others as a coach or mentor.
Coaches must be employed to work clinically in an NHS organisation within North Central and East London.
Masterclasses will be held in North Central and East London, venues tbc. Coaches may be paired with an MDT that does not meet in their usual place of work, or at another trust, but will be within North Central or East London.
If you are interested in becoming an MDT Improvement coach please consider the role description. Then please submit an application form by email to uclh.
As you will be asked to attend MDTs that meet during the working day, your manager will need to agree to release you from your usual role in order to undertake these activities. The funding mentioned above can be used to facilitate this. Please copy your manager into your application email and ask them to confirm that they support your application.
Once applications have been received, we may ask to meet you in person before signing you up to the training. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the spaces are filled.
The lead for the School for Multidisciplinary Cancer Team Effectiveness, and for this programme, is Professor Muntzer Mughal.
Training for coaches is provided by a patnership between the Cancer Academy and Catalyst Ltd, a training provider with expertise in teaching coaching and facilitation skills.
