The multidisciplinary team should meet to discuss newly diagnosed patients before definitive treatment so that a treatment plan can be recommended and there can be early preparation for the post-treatment phase. The patient case must be discussed within one week of completing the diagnostic and staging investigations and a management plan should be finalised. The level of discussion may vary, depending on the patient’s clinical and supportive care factors. Some patients with non-complex cancers may not be discussed by a multidisciplinary team; instead the team may have treatment plan protocols that will be applied if the patient’s case (cancer) meets the criteria. If patients are not discussed at an MDM, they should at least be named on the agenda for noting. The proposed treatment must be recorded in the patient’s medical record and should be recorded in an MDM database where one exists.

Teams may agree on standard treatment protocols for non-complex care, facilitating patient review (by exception) and associated data capture.

Results of relevant tests and access to images should be available for the MDM. Information about the patient’s concerns, preferences and social and cultural circumstances should also be available.