Rapid Diagnostic Assessment Centre

Rapid Diagnostic Cancer Clinic (RDCC)

Key Staff

Catarina Queiros - Advanced Nurse Practitioner, RDCC Service Lead
Shendelen Senining - Clinical Nurse Specialist
Dr Jaimin Patel - General Practitioner, RDCC Clinical Lead
Mr Said Mohammed — Consultant Laparoscopic Colorectal and General Surgeon, RDCC Consultant Lead
Patient Pathway Coordinator

Tel : 0208 401 3000 ext 4103 or 5665

Office hours: Monday to Friday 09:00 to 17:00

What is RDCC?

The Rapid Diagnostic Cancer Clinic, formerly known as the Rapid Diagnostic Assessment Centre (RDAC), provides patients with timely access to specialist assessment and diagnostic tests when they have concerning symptoms that do not clearly fit a site-specific cancer referral pathway. The clinic supports the early detection of cancer by coordinating appropriate investigations and specialist input to identify the cause of symptoms and, where appropriate, rule out an underlying cancer as quickly as possible.

You have been referred because your GP feels the symptoms you are experiencing need investigating quickly. It is possible that your symptoms are a result of a common condition, however your GP will have also explained to you that in some cases this could be a sign of cancer. You will be contacted by a hospital clinician within the next 14 days, who will look into your symptoms and find the best way to manage your care.

For more information on the RDCC programme please watch this NHS video.

What you should expect

You will receive a phone call from a member of the team, who will book you in for a face-to-face or telephone new patient clinic appointment. This will be a comprehensive assessment consultation with one of our clinicians where symptoms you are experiencing and your past medical history will be explored.

It is likely that the nurse/doctor will then refer you for tests (e.g. scans, endoscopy, blood tests) to be done at the at the hospital. The pathway navigator will help arrange your appointments and let you know when they are.

Face-to-face appointments are provided at Croydon University Hospital and Purley War Memorial Hospital. We also provide telephone clinics for patients where appropriate. If you are asked to attend for a face to face consultation, please be reassured that precautions are in place to help keep you safe when you visit our hospital.

Your results

Test results will be given to you during a clinic appointment. This will be either face to face or via a telephone appointment. We are happy for you to have a family member or friend accompany you for this appointment. The Pathway Navigator will discuss your appointment with you in more detail. It may be helpful to have a pen and paper with you to write down any new information you receive. You may also want to write down any questions you have beforehand.

Rescheduling an appointment

It is important that you keep the appointment that has been provided by the hospital, however we understand that patients may need to rearrange due to conflicting commitments. Please let us know by contacting us at the earliest convenience if you need to rebook your appointment.