NHS England SABR Expansion Programme
Although the ultimate decision on the aspirations of each centre in England for SABR provision lies with the radiotherapy centre and the respective Operational Delivery Network (ODN) based on local need, NHS England are keen to see centres take up this opportunity to expand their SABR provision.
The NHS England-funded SABR Expansion Programme (SEP) is due to begin in Summer 2020. This is a blended programme of external quality assurance (QA) and mentorship with various support packages available depending on the centre’s SABR experience and aspiration.
Quality Assurance (QA)
The QA aspects for clinician contouring, treatment planning and delivery will be facilitated by RTTQA and mentorship will be provided by a SABR-experienced centre.
The packages will be split broadly along the following lines and although the QA aspects must be completed in order, more than one package can be undertaken concurrently if deemed appropriate:
| Current SABR experience level / commissioned position | SABR Expansion Programme available support package | Contouring and planning QA | Treatment delivery QA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-SABR centres | Lung (primary & metastases to lung) | Lung only | Lung phantom audit |
| Existing lung SABR centres | Oligometastases I | Bones Lymph node | Lung phantom audit (if not previously done) |
| CtE Centres | Oligometastases II | Spine Liver Adrenal gland | Spine phantom audit |
Mentorship
The SABR Consortium have produced a Guide for SABR Mentorship that sets out a consistent framework under which we see mentorship proceeding see link.
It is recognised that there is a wealth of experience in the community from centres that are currently treating patients with SABR. RTTQA are currently in the process of contacting centres asking for expressions of support to be a mentor for centres that are looking to expand in to SABR or in to indications not previously treated with SABR.
RTTQA have also sent Facility Questionnaires (FQs) to all centres in the UK to ascertain what SABR mentorship needs they have.
NHS England will contact you after making their decisions on mentorship pairings in late July/ early August 2020 .