Spotting head and neck cancer symptoms in community pharmacies in Dundee and sharing information with GP practices

Introduction of a Head and Neck Cancer General Practitioner communication pathway in Community Pharmacies in NHS Tayside (CP HNC GP Communication Pathway)

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN16102051

Enrollment

Registered

2023-04-26

Start date

2023-05-10

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2025-10-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Identification of possible head and neck cancer symptoms in community pharmacy Cancer

Interventions

Any eligible person presenting to a participating community pharmacy with symptoms of concern, linked to possible head and neck cancer, will be offered the opportunity to take part in the study. Follo

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Any adult (age 18 years+), registered with a GP in Dundee City, who presents to one of the participating pharmacies with relevant symptoms as outlined in the protocol 2. Participating community pharmacists 3. GPs/clinicians who review patient participant(s)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. People without symptoms meeting study criteria 2. People not registered with a GP in Dundee City 2. Non-consenting individuals 3. Any person under the age of 18 years 4. Any person unable to participate in a consultation conducted in the English language

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1. Acceptability of the pathway is measured by: 1.1. Patient/public uptake at baseline 1.2. Patient/public feedback via questionnaire at 0-4 weeks and/or interview at 4 weeks 1.3. Pharmacy team feedback at week 24 (end of the recruitment period) 1.4. GP/practice staff feedback via questionnaire at week 4 and/or interview at week 24	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Can a community pharmacy pathway identify people suspected of having head and neck cancer? Measured by number of completed community pharmacy head and neck cancer assessment tools at baseline. 2. To assess whether community pharmacists can accurately and reproducibly utilise the symptom assessment tool to enable confidence in their use by referral recipients. Measured by GP/practice staff feedback via questionnaire at week 4 and/or interview at week 24. 3. Do people advised by community pharmacy teams to seek further review, attend for further assessment of their symptoms? Measured by obtaining information on participant follow up with general practices at week 4. 4. Are people identified by this pathway referred onwards by primary care for further investigations? Measured via participant follow-up via national datasets using CHI number at week 24.	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Can a community pharmacy pathway identify people suspected of having head and neck cancer? Measured by number of completed community pharmacy head and neck cancer assessment tools at baseline. 2. To assess whether community pharmacists can accurately and reproducibly utilise the symptom assessment tool to enable confidence in their use by referral recipients. Measured by GP/practice staff feedback via questionnaire at week 4 and/or interview at week 24. 3. Do people advised by community pharmacy teams to seek further review, attend for further assessment of their symptoms? Measured by obtaining information on participant follow up with general practices at week 4. 4. Are people identified by this pathway referred onwards by primary care for further investigations? Measured via participant follow-up via national datasets using CHI number at week 24.

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Countries

Scotland, United Kingdom

Contacts

Public ContactNCA Team

gram.noscancer@nhs.scotNone provided

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026