The primary objective of the South East Scotland Cancer Network
(SCAN) is to ensure equitable provision of high-quality cancer services.
Access to information reduces anxiety for cancer patients and their
families, improves satisfaction and aids recovery.
The aim of the SCAN website is to provide impartial and
quality-assured information on cancer and cancer services in the SCAN
region.
1. Selection of information for inclusion
1.1 The SCAN website will include information relevant to cancer patients and health professionals in South East Scotland.
1.2 The SCAN website will avoid
duplication by linking to health board and national websites (eg NHS
Inform, Macmillan) as appropriate.
1.3 Information for publication on the
website must be submitted by an appropriately qualified and experienced
member of the SCAN network:
- Clinical information must be approved by an appropriate health professional
- Non-clinical
information (eg information about SCAN activities, sources of support
for cancer patients, travel information) will be selected for
publication by an appropriate member of the SCAN team (eg Network
Manager, Patient Involvement Manager, Groups and Communications
Co-ordinator).
1.4 In general patient
identifiable information will not be published on the SCAN website.
Patient identifiable information will only be included where patients
have given specific permission (eg for publication of patient stories.)
1.5 The SCAN website does not accept advertising.
1.6 Funding for the SCAN
website comes from the SCAN health boards. Website content is not
influenced by these funding streams.
1.7 SCAN is a
non-political organisation and will exercise impartiality in the
selection of information published on the SCAN website. Where views are
expressed which are those of individual members of SCAN, rather than of
the organisation, this will be clearly stated.
2. Information quality
2.1 Information on the website will
comply with accepted local and national guidelines on the publication of
written materials. Authors should ensure that local documents are
approved by their health board before submission for publication on the
SCAN website. Regional documents will be submitted to the NHS Lothian
Communications Team for approval.
2.2 Information should be presented
clearly in an appropriate style for the intended audience. The SCAN
Patient Involvement Manager can provide support in this respect,
including arranging patient review of documents.
2.3 Site pages will conform at a
minimum to Level A compliance as specified by the Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines, and will endeavour to meet Level AAA
compliance of accessibility where possible.
2.4 Details of author, date of issue
and date of next review will be included on all pages. These details
will also be included on all new documents.
2.5 Content on the network will be reviewed with timescales
appropriate to the individual material by an appropriate member of the
SCAN network.
3. Communications with website users
3.1 Comments and feedback from website
users will be welcomed and will be used to inform further development of
the site. All comments will be acknowledged.
3.2 The network will not provide
specific information to individuals about their condition or treatment
but all enquiries will be acknowledged.
4. Legal issues
4.1 Legal liability for content on the
network lies with NHS Lothian. Authority has been delegated to
professionals within SCAN to submit and approve material. Material on
the network is intended for information only and is subject to the
disclaimer accessible from all pages.
4.2 SCAN is not responsible for the content on external websites.
4.3 Copyright: Authorisation in writing
will be sought to publish material other than that authored by members
of SCAN. Full recognition will be given to content authors.
5. Disclaimer
5.1 The network is designed for educational and informative purposes only.
- The information provided by the network should not be used for
diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease and it is not a
substitute for professional medical care. Nothing on this website is
intended to constitute advice to you. Specific advice should be sought
in specific situations from a properly qualified health worker.
- Management of individual patients may on occasions be different from the general description.
Click here for a full copy of the website disclaimer.
Issue date: 28/06/12
Review date: 28/06/14