National Cancer Diagnosis Audit
Background
The first audit of cancer diagnoses in primary care in England reported on patients diagnosed with cancer in 2009/10. The report can be viewed on the RCGP website.
The aim of the National Cancer Diagnosis Audit (NCDA) was to collect more recent and in-depth data to further understand the patient pathway through primary care to the diagnosis of cancer.
Similarly to the first audit in England, the NCDA collected primary care information on patients diagnosed with cancer in 2014 in England, Scotland and North Wales. The NCDA data can be used alongside cancer registration and secondary care health data to further understand pathways to cancer diagnosis.
Each participating practice received a report on their own NCDA results, which can be used for quality improvement purposes.
The NCDA focused on patients diagnosed before the updated NICE guidelines on the recognition and referral of suspected cancers was introduced in 2015. Any future audit rounds will be able to assess the impact of these guidelines.
Publications
Publications using the NCDA data can be found here:
Accessing NCDA dataFor more information on the NCDA data and how to apply for access, please email: odr at phe dot gov.uk link odr@phe.gov.uk
For any general queries regarding the NCDA please email: ncda at cancer dot org.uk link ncda@cancer.org.uk
. More information on the NCDA can also be found on the Cancer Research UK webpage.
The NCDA is a partnership project involving the following organisations:
