This working party report emphasises the role of patients as key participants in their own care. It includes a number of tools, such as decision aids, to help hospital and community teams assess and plan management of acutely unwell patients.

This new report Cancer patients in crisis: responding to urgent needs from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and Royal College of Radiologists (RCR), including a foreword from Professor Sir Mike Richards, national clinical director for cancer, provides decision making tools to health professionals working in hospitals and the community, to help improve the care of cancer patients in crisis. It also proposes standards of good practice in each care setting which should reduce risk and improve outcomes. Patient and carer representative members of the working party have led on the development of an innovative planning wallet for patients. This is intended to encourage timely discussions about unexpected problems at any point in a patient’s journey. It will prompt patients to seek and keep to hand important information and help to facilitate forward planning regarding their care.