West Midlands Region

Q. Delegates asked about recording of mandatory cycle number.

A. The panel explained that cycle number is now mandatory in SACT v4.0, and for ad hoc treatments not linked to a cycle, manual assignment or scenario-based solutions may be required, with further clinical input sought for edge cases.

Q. How is Toxicity recorded?

A. Toxicity is recorded as a simple grade (1-5) without specifying the category, aiming for simplicity in the new section.

Q. Who is defined as a prescriber?

A. The prescriber is defined as the care professional responsible for initiating treatment, typically a clinician, but the data set now accommodates pharmacists and other professionals for future flexibility.

Q. More advice was requested around mapping and transition guidance.

A. The panel clarified that historic patient data from SACT v3.0 will be mapped to the new curative/non-curative intent options, and that mandatory fields in SACT v4.0 may require additional mapping or manual input for legacy records.

Q. What are the implementation and conformance dates for v4.0?

A. Data collection for SACT v4.0 begins on 1 April 2026, with a three-month transition period allowing submission of either SACT v3.0 or v4.0, and full compliance mandated from 1 July 2026.

A. It was emphasised the importance of Trusts contacting their system suppliers early to schedule updates and training, and to test new data files with NDRS before full submission.

Q. How is 'Non-Compliance' handled for v4.0?

A. With regards to ‘Non-Compliance Handling’, the panel confirmed that if system suppliers cannot deliver updates in time, affected Trusts will not be penalised, but must continue submitting SACT v3.0 data until SACT v4.0 is available, with individual support provided.

Q. How is oral therapy recorded when there are multiple cycles involved?

A. Where multiple cycles of oral therapy are dispensed at once, the new fields for 'cycle length' and 'number of cycles administered on a named day' are designed to capture such cases.

Q. What is the initial data submission procedure?

A. Delegates were instructed that after receiving a system upgrade from their supplier, Trusts must send their data files to their regional DLM for testing before attempting to submit via the API, to ensure there are no local errors in reporting.

Q. How will mapping updates and errors be handled?

A. The panel explained that the team will not update the mapping for a Trust until they have reviewed and approved the first set of live data from the new system version; if a Trust uploads a SACT v4.0 file and encounters acceptance errors, it is likely due to the mapping not being updated yet.

Q. Can the beta portal be used for testing?

A. The panel clarified that while a beta portal is available for testing, the mappings must still be updated for SACT v4.0 before using it, and the preferred initial step is to send files directly to their DLM for a first review.

Q. Why is it important to track upgrade progress?

A. The panel noted that being informed about which Trusts have moved to SACT v4.0 helps the SACT team keep track of progress and ensure all mappings and systems are up to date.

Q. What is the correct use and recording of Regimen vs Cycle vs Drug modification?

A. The panel clarified that regimen modification refers to upfront changes before treatment starts, cycle modification records drug omissions per cycle, and drug modification captures dose changes during administration.

Q. Do drug modifications require updates to the cycle modification section?

A. Regimen modification should be recorded if there is an upfront dose modification, while cycle modifications should be recorded if drugs are omitted or doses are modified during the cycle, and each administration's dose modification should be recorded individually.