Shared on behalf of East Midlands Cancer Alliance

COMPASS Project Summary (Derbyshire)

The East Midlands Cancer Alliance, in collaboration with North Central London Cancer Alliance, Boots and Cyted Health, has been awarded funding from SBRI (Small Business Research Initiative) and NHS England to launch the COMPASS Project—Community Pharmacy Assessment for Barrett’s Oesophagus and Reflux Symptoms.

The COMPASS Project aims to identify undiagnosed cases of Barrett’s oesophagus (BO) and early-stage oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) within the gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) population. By positioning pharmacies as the primary point of contact, the project will make early detection more accessible and equitable.

In the East Midlands, the project is running in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. In Derbyshire the patients will be identified and tested at the Derby Derbion Shopping Centre Boots store. They will be identified via Advantage card data, looking at customer spending habits to identify those who are regularly buying over the counter heartburn medication. Eligible patients will be offered the Endosign® capsule sponge test, administered in the pharmacy.

250 tests will be delivered at the Boots store. For every test, the patients’ GP practice will be informed of the result to be added to the patient’s record by an administrator at the practice. For those patients with pathology findings requiring a referral for an endoscopy (predicted to be around 45 patients), a direct referral mechanism is being implemented where the pharmacy will make the referral themselves via e-RS and notify the patient’s GP that the referral has been made. This method will minimise the burden on the GP practices in the region. Testing will begin in March 2026 and run until the end of January 2027.

This innovative project combines data-driven targeting, community engagement, and pharmacy partnerships to tackle health inequalities and improve outcomes for patients in the region.