National Cancer Plan reaction; NHS pilot will use AI and robots; Health innovation project
PIF members react to the National Cancer Plan
Following the unveiling of the government's National Cancer Plan last week, PIF members have shared their views on the proposals and promises. The plan aims to save 320,000 more lives by 2035 and includes the full rollout of lung screening by 2030. It also pledges a renewed commitment to earlier diagnosis and meeting all cancer waiting times targets by 2029. A partnership between government and the charity sector, called Diagnosis Connect, will ensure patients are referred directly to trusted charities and support organisations at the point of diagnosis. Stage 2 of the programme will see the NHS working with cancer charities, including those from rare cancers. This aims to connect patients with patient-led communities and sources of expert support and advice.
Many cancer charities have welcomed the National Cancer Plan and are keen to work with the government and see the changes become reality.
Macmillan Cancer Support said it is proud to have been an active partner in the development of the plan which it believes will mark the beginning of an entirely new national agenda for cancer care. Priyanka Patel, at Macmillan Cancer Support, added: "We at Macmillan are ready to play our part to ensure that this plan sparks a revolution in cancer care and results in real changes across the NHS and society so that everyone can access the best possible care and support." Read their response here.
Helen Rowntree, chief executive at Blood Cancer UK, said: “This is a landmark moment for the 260,000 people living with or in remission from blood cancer in England and one we’ve been calling for over many years. Survival for blood cancer patients has fallen behind other nations of similar wealth and health, and people with blood cancer face some of the toughest odds. This plan could change that, but only if it’s delivered properly." See their reaction here.
Young Lives vs Cancer called the plan's dedicated chapter for children and young people "a landmark moment" and said the government's commitment to a £10million Travel Fund is going to transform the lives of young cancer patients. The charity's chief executive, Rachel Kirby-Rider, added: "We’re ready to work with government and partners to deliver real change for children, young people and their families." View their response in full.
Bowel Cancer UK's chief executive, Genevieve Edwards, said the plan was an important milestone, adding: "The priority now is strong national and local leadership, clear accountability, support for NHS staff and sustained funding, along with genuine partnership with charities to turn this ambition into action, so more bowel cancers are found early, and fewer people are diagnosed in an emergency." Read the charity's statement here.
Prostate Cancer Research welcomed the national plan and said: "We’re glad to see many of the issues we and other cancer organisations highlighted have been included in the plan. But the biggest opportunity for prostate cancer is still under consideration: a final decision hasn’t yet been made around prostate cancer screening and we urge everyone to make their voices heard before the consultation on this closes on 20 February." See their breakdown of the plan here.
Diana Jupp, CEO of Pancreatic Cancer UK, said the plan was an "historic moment" for people affected by pancreatic cancer and less survivable cancers, adding: "After decades of being left behind, there is a hugely welcome ambition to drive improved survival for diseases like pancreatic cancer. Together with the Rare Cancers Bill, which promises to help accelerate research and access to clinical trials, this plan represents a critical moment in turning the tide on pancreatic cancer.” Find the full response here.
NHS pilot will use AI and robots to detect cancer
A new NHS pilot using artificial intelligence and robotic technology to help doctors reach hard-to-detect cancers earlier has been announced. The new approach uses AI software to rapidly analyse lung scans and flag small lumps that are most likely to be cancerous, and a robotic camera is then used to guide biopsy tools through the airways with far greater precision than standard techniques. It could mean weeks of repeat scans and procedures could be replaced with a single biopsy.
The pilot is being launched alongside plans for the NHS to expand lung cancer screening and are both part of the National Cancer Plan, which aims to prioritise solving inequalities to ensure patients can get fairer and faster access to cancer care. The robot can reach nodules as small as 6mm – around the size of a grain of rice – hidden deep in the lung and often too risky or difficult to access using existing methods.
Read more about the pilot on the NHS England website here.
Accelerating the shift towards care closer to home
The King's Fund has shared details of a project which will explore how innovation can help deliver on the ambition to provide more care closer to home. The King's Fund has partnered with Roche for the Leveraging Innovation to Support Care Closer to Home project which will identify and examine different types of innovations that aim to reduce reliance on hospital-based care and transform patient outcomes and experience. The two-and-a-half-year strategic partnership will consider innovations across three areas:
- Treatment innovations.
- Innovations in diagnostics and monitoring.
- New models of care delivery.
The project will not only look at the innovations themselves but also at the implementation challenges and system changes needed to realise their potential. The King's Fund is calling for contributions and examples of innovations being used along with their benefits and barriers.
Find out more about the project on The King's Fund website here.
Study: Rise of emoji use in medical records
A study has revealed the use of emojis in medical records is rising. The study, published in the JAMA Network Open, involved the analysis of more than 218 million EHR notes from 1.6 million patients. The research found 372 distinct emojis were used within 4,162 notes with an average of 4 emojis per note and a maximum of 32 emojis in one note.
Smileys and emotion emojis were the most commonly used. The study also found that records for patients aged 10-19 had the most emojis. The researchers warned that emojis in clinical documentation, particularly within patient-directed communications, raise questions about potential misinterpretation.
Read the study on the JAMA Network Open website here.
Maternity investigation call for evidence
Parents and families are being asked to share their neonatal and maternity experiences to help recognise good care and inform future improvements. The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation has launched a Call for Evidence, which includes two surveys:
- One for women and people who have been pregnant to share their own experiences of maternity and neonatal services.
- One for other people to share their experiences supporting someone through pregnancy. This could include fathers, non-birthing partners, family members, friends, or other support people.
PIF member Bliss has encouraged people to respond to the call for evidence and have their voices heard to help the investigation team "understand the reality of neonatal care". However, the charity does not think the Call for Evidence goes far enough to capture how neonatal care is experienced by babies, their parents and their wider families. Bliss said: "We're particularly disappointed that dads and non-birthing parents are not asked about how involved they were in their baby's care, whether they were able to stay on the unit as much as they wanted to, or how informed they were about their baby's condition."
Find the survey, which closes on 17 March, via the Bliss website here.
Research groups to reduce inequalities
Five new mental health research groups will lead on research to reduce inequalities in mental health provision, reaching people who rarely take part in research studies. The NIHR is investing almost £55 million in the additional Mental Health Research Groups (MHRGs) to target areas with high levels of mental health problems. The new research will be embedded in local communities and will connect universities, local health systems and communities, ensuring research reflects real-world priorities and lived experience. The groups will aim to reach mothers or people in rural and coastal communities and people who "fall through the gaps" of current services, such as those with intellectual disabilities or complex emotional needs.
Read more about the groups on the NIHR website here.
Blog: Ambient voice technology evaluation findings
In this blog for the Nuffield Trust, the co-authors of a rapid evaluation of ambient voice technology (AVT) in the NHS share some of the insights gathered so far. Professors Jenny Shand and Steve Morris reflect on the first phase of the NIHR-funded evaluation. It focused on laying foundations: mapping the existing evidence, understanding the market and developing a logic model and a more consistent approach to measurement.
The authors note how adoption of the technology – sometimes called AI scribes – is rolling out across healthcare settings rapidly but evidence on what AVT actually delivers remains limited. The co-authors found that AVT studies are consistently showing reductions in clinical time spent writing notes and, in some cases, reductions in clinicians working out of hours on documentation. A multi-site, mixed-methods evaluation of AVT in real-world NHS settings will be undertaken in the next stage of the evaluation. It will examine not just whether AVT saves time but how it is implemented, how it reshapes work, how staff and patients experience it, and whether anticipated benefits are actually realised.
Read the blog on the Nuffield Trust website here.
Webinar: Meaningful patient and public involvement
A free webinar about how to meaningfully involve patients and the public in improvement is being hosted by NHS England. The webinar - NHS IMPACT Masterclass: Coproduction of Improvement - will be held on 25 February. Speakers will include Rob Moriarty, Patient and Public Voice Partner of the National Improvement Board and Sarah Sweeney, Director of Evidence and Improvement at National Voices. The interactive session, hosted by Professor Amar Shah, National Clinical Director of Improvement, will be followed by a group discussion and is for anyone working in the NHS.