Expressions of interest are invited to join the National Oesophago-Gastric Cancer Audit (NOGCA) Clinical Reference Group (CRG) for the following vacancies:
- Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Representative, England or Wales
- Palliative Care Representative, England or Wales
About NOGCA
NOGCA is a pivotal data-driven initiative that evaluates the quality of care for people with oesophageal and gastric cancers in England and Wales. NOGCA supports NHS Trusts/Local Health Boards, Cancer Alliances, and policymakers to improve outcomes for people diagnosed with oesophageal and gastric cancer.
One of NOGCA’s standout features is its commitment to quality improvement. The NOGCA Quality Improvement Plan outlines five strategic goals, including reducing emergency and late-stage diagnoses, minimising wait times for treatment, enhancing access to clinical nurse specialists, improving curative treatment outcomes, and optimising palliative chemotherapy completion and reducing complications. These objectives are supported by ten performance indicators, ensuring a structured approach to improving patient outcomes and care.
NOGCA utilises routinely collected NHS data, our recently published NOGCA Quarterly Data Dashboard offers an up-to-date view of the Audit’s key performance indicators. This dashboard, along with our comprehensive State of the Nation Report (September 2025), provides a detailed overview of our current work and findings.
About the Clinical Reference Group role
As a member of the NOGCA Clinical Reference Group, you will have the opportunity to shape the Audit’s approach and delivery. Current membership of the Clinical Reference Group is available to view here.
The Terms of Reference (currently under review) for the Clinical Reference Group are included below.
Members serve for a minimum of one year and the group meets twice a year (via MS Teams).
Eligibility
- Practising in the NHS in England or Wales.
- Possess clinical expertise in OG cancer and ideally understand clinical data/audit methodology.
- Be able to communicate audit findings to their professional/patient network.
- Declare any conflicts of interest and adhere to relevant ethical principles regarding undue influence.
How to express interest
Expressions of interest (EoIs) should be no more than one side of A4 and include:
- A brief profile of yourself, including your credentials and any other information of relevance for the role.
- Any potential conflicts of interest.
Please send EoIs to [email protected] by midday on Monday 10 November 2025. If you wish to find out more about the role before submitting an EoI please email [email protected] and the team will be happy to respond to questions.
Further information about NOGCA
The National Oesophago-Gastric Cancer Audit is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) as part of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP), and delivered jointly by the Clinical Effectiveness Unit (CEU) at the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre (NATCAN).
Clinical Reference Group (CRG) Terms of Reference [Under Review]
Context:
The National Oesophago-Gastric Cancer Audit is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) as part of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP), and delivered jointly by the Clinical Effectiveness Unit (CEU) at the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre (NATCAN).
The Clinical Effectiveness Unit holds the contract for the Audit, the National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre (NATCAN) provides project management and technical infrastructure. Clinical leadership and direction are provided by the NOGCA Clinical Leads working collaboratively with stakeholders reflecting oesophago-gastric cancer MDT membership.
The Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons (AUGIS), British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) and The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) are key stakeholders and provide ongoing support and advice to the audit. Additional stakeholders, representing other clinical specialties, nursing, people living with oesophago-gastric cancer, the NHS and charities, contribute to the audit via membership of the Clinical Reference Group.
The Clinical Reference Group will:
- Represent the views of people living with oesophago-gastric cancer and associated professional groups.
- Advise on clinical, methodological and implementation issues, including:
- Audit scope and design
- Participation of NHS providers
- Identifying and reviewing Performance Indicators
- Providing input on the interpretation of audit findings
- Reviewing and providing input to audit reports and other outputs.
- Propose and advise on Quality Improvement priorities.
- Advise on communication and publication strategies, and appropriateness of audit outputs for different audiences.
- Disseminate key updates from NOGCA and support the publicising of audit outputs to members and audience(s) of their stakeholder organisation.
Meetings & Communications:
- The Clinical Reference Group meetings to take place twice a year via MS Teams.
- It may be necessary for members of the group to be consulted on the occasional matter outside the meeting cycle, via email or other suitable media.
- The quorum for a Clinical Reference Group meeting will be the chair and four members (excluding the Project Team), plus at least one NOGCA Clinical Lead.
- Meeting papers will be circulated electronically in advance of the meeting.
- If members are unable to attend the meeting, they will be asked to send comments on relevant papers for discussion during the meeting and/or to arrange for a member of their representative body to deputise on their behalf.
- Discussions within the Clinical Reference Group will be considered confidential unless otherwise indicated.
- CRG Members agree to notify the NOGCA Project Team immediately shall a conflict of interest arise.
- Minutes/action points will be circulated electronically after the meeting.