Parkside Medical Centre – Award-Winning Cancer Pathway Management in SystmOne
Delivering Safer, Faster Cancer Care Across a 78,000-Patient PCN
Cancer pathways are among the most complex processes managed within primary care. Patients may require screening, diagnostic tests, urgent referrals and ongoing follow-up, with multiple opportunities for delays to occur along the way.
Recognising these challenges, Lisa Baldwin, Practice Manager at Parkside Medical Centre, set out to create a more reliable and consistent approach to managing cancer pathways across Boston Primary Care Network.
The result was an innovative cancer safety-netting model built entirely within SystmOne. By combining reporting, workflow automation, patient communications and clinical record functionality within a single platform, the team created a system that actively supports cancer pathway management rather than simply recording it.
Implemented across six practices serving approximately 78,000 patients, the solution has improved pathway visibility, strengthened patient support and reduced referral delays. The project stood out for combining patient safety, measurable outcomes and innovative use of SystmOne at population scale, earning Parkside Medical Centre the TPP Innovation Award.
At a Glance
- 78,000 patients supported across six GP practices
- 3,451 patients contacted regarding bowel cancer screening
- 1,849 patients contacted regarding breast cancer screening
- 4,605 invitations issued for PSA testing
- 1,483 PSA tests completed
- 36% reduction in lower gastrointestinal referral timelines
The Challenge
Cancer pathways often involve what Lisa describes as “processes within processes within processes”.
A patient may need blood tests, FIT testing, referrals, appointments and follow-up, with each stage dependent on the successful completion of the last. Historically, much of this tracking relied on manual processes and individual staff members remembering to follow up patients.
For Lisa, this represented a significant risk.
Every missed appointment, unreturned test or delayed referral creates the potential for later investigation, later specialist assessment and ultimately later diagnosis.
The information needed to manage these pathways already existed within SystmOne. The challenge was finding a way to connect that information and turn it into meaningful action.
Lisa recognised that the solution was not additional technology, but making better use of the technology practices already had.
Transforming Cancer Pathway Management with SystmOne
āSystmOne gave us the flexibility to build a process that worked for both patients and staff. By bringing pathway management, reporting and communication together in one place, we were able to create a more proactive approach to cancer care.ā
Lisa Baldwin, Practice Manager, Parkside Medical Centre
Rather than introducing another system, Lisa focused on unlocking the advanced functionality already available within SystmOne.
The project demonstrates the flexibility of SystmOne’s configurable architecture. Rather than requiring bespoke software development or external applications, the model was created using functionality already available within the platform and adapted to support local cancer pathways.
By combining protocols, eWorkflow automation, task templates, reporting outputs, structured templates and patient communications, Lisa created a fully integrated cancer pathway management ecosystem embedded directly within the clinical record.
The innovation was not a single workflow. It was the way multiple SystmOne functions were connected together.
When a clinician requests a FIT test, initiates a referral or records a screening outcome, the system can automatically trigger follow-up actions, generate tasks, update reporting and identify patients who require intervention.
Because everything operates within the same clinical environment, teams benefit from consistent coding, complete audit trails, real-time visibility and stronger governance. Information does not need to be transferred between separate systems, reducing duplication and helping ensure every action remains visible within the clinical record.
The result is a model that actively supports staff and patients throughout the pathway while reducing reliance on manual tracking.
Supporting Patients Through the Pathway
Technology enables the model, but people make it successful.
Cancer Care Coordinators play a central role in ensuring patients receive support throughout their journey. Automated workflows identify patients who require intervention, allowing coordinators to focus on patient engagement rather than administrative tracking.
Scheduled reporting identifies patients requiring intervention, allowing coordinators to focus their attention where it is needed most. In this model, reporting is not simply used to measure performance; it becomes an active tool for managing patient pathways and preventing delays.
For many patients, a possible cancer diagnosis can be one of the most worrying periods of their lives.
If a FIT test is not returned, somebody notices.
If an investigation needs repeating, somebody follows up.
If a referral has stalled, somebody can intervene.
Rather than feeling lost within a complex system, patients receive greater visibility, reassurance and support throughout the pathway.
At the same time, practices benefit from stronger safety-netting, improved oversight and greater confidence that patients are progressing through the correct pathway.
Delivering Measurable Results
By combining automation, reporting and proactive follow-up within a single system, practices have been able to identify issues earlier and intervene more consistently across the pathway.
The programme has delivered significant improvements across screening participation, early detection and referral management.
Cancer Care Coordinators have contacted:
- 3,451 patients regarding bowel cancer screening
- 1,849 patients regarding breast cancer screening
A proactive prostate cancer initiative generated:
- 4,605 invitations for PSA testing
- 1,483 PSA tests completed
Most significantly, an audit of lower gastrointestinal cancer referrals demonstrated that the average time between a patient’s initial presentation and referral submission fell from 22 days to 14 days.
A 36% reduction in the time patients waited for lower gastrointestinal referrals to be submitted.
For patients, that means quicker investigations, faster access to specialist assessment and greater opportunities for earlier diagnosis.
A Blueprint for Primary Care
“Everything we needed was already within SystmOne. The real opportunity was bringing those capabilities together in a way that gave practices better visibility of the pathway and helped ensure patients received the right support at the right time.”
Lisa Baldwin, Practice Manager, Parkside Medical Centre
What makes this innovation particularly powerful is its scalability.
The model demonstrates that Primary Care Networks do not necessarily need additional software, standalone tracking databases or complex integrations to strengthen cancer pathway management. By fully utilising existing SystmOne functionality, organisations can create robust safety-netting processes that improve governance, support earlier diagnosis and reduce the risk of patients falling through gaps in the pathway.
Lisa also developed the training materials, workflow guidance and implementation processes needed to standardise the model across all six practices within the PCN, ensuring patients receive a consistent experience regardless of where they are registered.
The project highlights the breadth of SystmOne’s functionality when fully configured. Reporting, automation, communications, coding and workflow management were combined to create a fully embedded operational model that supports both patient care and service delivery.
Lisa Baldwin’s work has shown how multiple SystmOne functions can be connected into a fully embedded cancer pathway management ecosystem operating at population scale.
For a network serving 78,000 patients, the approach has already reduced referral timelines by 36%, strengthened patient support and improved visibility throughout the cancer pathway.
The project demonstrates that SystmOne can be far more than a clinical record system. When fully configured, it can function as an operational platform that coordinates care, automates processes, supports decision-making and provides real-time visibility across complex patient pathways.
Watch the full showcase here (from 26:30).