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Upper GI - USC (2WW)

Checked: 23-11-2022 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 23-11-2023

Service Overview

Services provided by UHBW at Bristol Royal Infirmary and Weston General Hospital, NBT at Southmead Hospital. The services are for patients who meet the Upper Gastrointestinal Urgent Suspected Cancer (USC) criteria. The service offers consultation with diagnostics and onward referral for treatment as required. Please see link for further NICE Cancer Guidelines 2015 - Upper GI Tract Cancers

At time of referral please issue the relevant patient information leaflet as detailed in section below.

Patients with suspected pancreatic cancer should also be referred using the referral form below but also see the Pancreas - USC (2WW) section for further details and link to local pathway.

If advised to refer into MDT, then please submit a USC referral to the relevant secondary care team who will ensure that all the required information is available to enable an effective MDT discussion.

Contact details ADULT USC (2WW):

NBT - Tel on 0117 414 0522 / 0536 / 0537 / 0538 or email to fasttrackoffice2ww@nbt.nhs.uk

UHBW - Tel on 0117 342 7641 / 2 / 3 / 4 or email to FastTrackOffice@uhbw.nhs.uk

Iron Deficiency Anaemia

Please note that iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) alone is not an indication for USC upper GI referral. In these cases it is advised that lower GI investigations should be prioritised. Please see the Lower GI - USC (2WW) criteria initially as USC lower GI endoscopy or FIT test may be indicated depending on age and other symptoms. There is also advice on management of IDA in the Anaemia page of Remedy.

If upper GI endoscopy is required then referrals should be sent to a community endoscopy provider (outside of USC).

Please see the Endoscopy page for details.

Referral Guidance

At time of referral please issue the BNSSG Understanding Your Urgent Fast Track Referral patient information leaflet.

Referrals to UHBW

Please use the Suspected Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Cancer Referral Form to make a USC referral (also in EMIS systems).

Referrals to NBT

Refer Direct to test via ICE for USC (2WW) referrals. Please use this route for suitable patients.

See the NBT 2 week wait upper GI pathway.

If patients are not suitable for referral via the ICE pathway then please use the Suspected Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Cancer Referral Form (also in EMIS).

For NBT - please refer via: Urgent Suspected Cancer - Upper GI Malignancies Triage Service - Southmead - RVJ. Select 'send for triage' in eRS rather than selecting a date and time for dummy appointment.

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.