This clinic is for patients who are experiencing symptoms which are hard to diagnose. Symptoms may, for example, include non-specific abdominal pain, unintentional weight loss, persistent fatigue, or loss of appetite.

About us

Most patients we see will not have cancer. People who have symptoms which are suggestive of a specific cancer or non-cancerous condition and require specialist advice, will be referred directly to the appropriate specialty.

Our team

  • Our Patient Navigator will be your first point of contact throughout your journey with us. Working closely with the Advanced Nurse Practitioner, they will coordinate appointments for you, track your progress through the clinic, and help you to overcome any barriers.
  • Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANP) are registered nurses who have undergone extra training and higher academic qualifications. ANPs can examine, assess, make diagnoses, treat, prescribe, and make referrals for patients within their scope of practice. The ANP will be your keyworker and advocate for your care.
  • GPs with extended role have a specialist interest and have undertaken additional training in cancer care.
  • Medical Consultants who practice general medicine in the hospital. Some may also have a specialist area which they also practice, such as respiratory, gastroenterology or rheumatology. Depending on your symptoms, you may meet one or all of the team during your care.

How to access our services

Please see your GP if you have something that you feel is not right or symptoms which you are concerned about. Your GP will assess your symptoms and may refer you to the Rapid Diagnostic Cancer Clinic as appropriate. In parallel, your GP may request tests to provide the clinic with more information about you.

If you need urgent medical advice

  • You should contact your GP, NHS 111, or your local urgent treatment centre or walk in centre services.
  • If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please go to your local Emergency Department.

If you need to cancel your appointment

Please always let us know using the telephone number right if you can’t attend your appointment so that someone else can use it.

Further information

Please tell us about your recent experience of the Rapid Diagnostic Cancer Clinic by completing our survey.

Please see below some useful links to external sites that may be of interest (this does not mean we endorse or accept responsibility for the information on them).

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How to refer

Healthcare professionals can make referrals via the Electronic Referral Service using the RDCC referral form.

DOC file icon GP referral form for RDCC

Patients should be:

  • Aged 18 years or over
  • Have clinical or radiological suspicion of cancer.
  • NOT meet the referral criteria for tumour-specific pathways.
  • ECOG Performance Status 0, 1 or 2.
  • Available to be seen within the next 7 days (Send referral only when patient is available).

In addition to a full clinical assessment and examination, the GP is asked to arrange the following preliminary investigations before referral.  Within the last 3 months all patients should have:

  • Urgent blood tests – full blood count (if anaemic: B12, folate, ferritin, iron studies), urea and electrolytes with eGFR, ESR, CRP, liver function tests, thyroid function test, HbA1c, bone profile, PSA (Men), LDH.
  • Urgent chest x-ray – please include full clinical details and mark the request ‘very urgent’ to ensure it is reported without delay.
  • FIT (not available in secondary care).

In addition, and where appropriate, patients with abdominal symptoms and/or weight loss also require:

  • CA125 and urgent pelvic ultrasound scan (where this is available in a timely way) in women over 45 years.
  • Coeliac screen including tTG Ab, gamma GT, protein electrophoresis, HIV, faecal elastase, calprotectin, serum amylase.
  • Pregnancy Test (if within childbearing age).
  • abdominal ultrasound scan (if appropriate to do before referral please ensure requested urgently and the result is included with the referral).

If these tests do not result in an identified cause of the patient’s symptoms, the patient should be referred to the rapid access diagnostics clinic.

Please note: it will be difficult to make a clinical assessment of your patient without these preliminary investigations. We will not be able to accept the referral without the results of these investigations.

Many symptoms can indicate a specific cancer diagnosis (for example cough, abnormal vaginal bleeding, change in bowel habit, dysphagia and haematuria). Any patients meeting the urgent suspected cancer referral guidelines for a specific malignancy should be referred using the appropriate urgent suspected cancer referral pathway and referral forms.

There may be patients for whom waiting test results is not appropriate (i.e., in the case of clinical urgency) and the reason for this should be highlighted on the referral. To discuss urgent referrals, please contact the team directly on the number above and we will aim to review the patient quickly.