Thorough organisation and planning before, during, and after a multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting is key to making the best use of everyone’s time and avoiding delays.
While the MDT coordinator or another assigned person may organise the meeting, all team members are responsible for being on time and avoiding distractions. Below are some key considerations for effective planning and organisation.
Referral pathways
- Clear local referral pathways are in place, outlining who can refer; how to refer; what information is needed; and expected timeframes. This includes locally agreed processes for late referrals or insufficient information.
- Local referral pathways align with any nationally agreed referral pathways.
- Each MDT meeting has agreed criteria for which person’s case will be discussed.
Case presentation
Effective case presentation is key part to a successful MDT meeting. Clear communication and shared understanding across the team are essential.
Tips for presenting cases:
- Include the person's needs and views: ensure the patient's perspective, and their family or carer where appropriate, is part of the discussion.
- Ensure the lead clinician is present: only discuss a case if the lead clinician (or a briefed proxy or delegate) is available.
- Confirm clinical details: ensure the clinical, imaging and pathology information for each case is reviewed and agreed upon by all relevant team members.
- Follow best practice: align decisions with current clinical guidelines and evidence-based protocols.
- Use the meeting to plan care: discuss next steps and how the team can work together to deliver coordinated, evidence-based care.
This approach ensures a shared understanding across the team, and patients benefit from well-informed, consistent care planning.
Meeting coordination, communication and administration
- Nominate a main contact: usually the MDT coordinator, this person is responsible for organising meetings, keeping things on track and supporting clear communication across the team. More about having the right team and clear roles.
- Establish clear communication processes: ensure everyone knows how to share updates, within the team; with the referring clinician; and with the person receiving care and the family or carer; as appropriate.
Good coordination ensures timely decisions, reduces confusion, and helps maintain a consistent standard of care.
Documenting meeting outcomes
Accurate documentation is essential to support safe, coordinated care.
- Record decisions during the meeting: document care plans and outcomes in real time and upload them to the person’s electronic medical record (eMR). Also add documentation to the MDT's local eMR system, if it is different from the patient's local eMR systems.
- External cases need extra steps: registering cases from outside your service in the eMR may require additional administrative support. Alternatively, upload a summary letter to the treating team's eMR.
- Don’t rely on tracking platforms alone: e.g. TrakGene can track summary-level activity, but should not be used as the only place that MDT discussions are documented.
- Update the young person’s transition care plan