Airedale NHS Foundation Trust is using robotic process automation (RPA) to support the prostate cancer pathway, sending a text to patients due to come in for blood tests and then updating them with results via text, removing the need for a clinical appointment.
RPA identifies from waiting lists when patients are due to come in for a PSA test, taking into account differing follow-up times depending on factors such as whether they have had surgery or radiotherapy. According to the trust, the automation is also capable of identifying when a result is within normal range for each individual person, sending them a text message with results within 24 hours.
Where results are outside of the normal range, the automation flags patients for a review by the clinical team. After completing these actions, it adds patients back onto the waiting list for their next review. Airedale notes this is “invaluable” in helping reduce waiting times for blood tests, providing a better experience for patients, offering real-time updates to clinicians, reducing treatment delays, and reducing risk by automating patient tracking.
Funding for the service was granted through the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance. Helen Ryan, the Alliance’s programme manager for innovation, commented: “We are always keen to support projects which have a particular focus and are delighted to support this initiative which will bring huge benefits to prostate cancer patients. Reducing waiting lists and waiting times not only increases clinic capacity and takes pressure off the system, it greatly improves the experience of cancer patients during a particularly stressful and anxious time of their lives.”
Helen Akhtar, lead Macmillan urology clinical nurse specialist at Airedale, talked about how faster results will mean reduced patient anxiety. “It will revolutionise the way patients receive their prostate follow up results,” she said. “Importantly it reduces the need for frequent hospital appointments, allowing men to have a life beyond their cancer follow up. We’re already looking at other procedures where we can move to automation, to make our cancer service even better for our patients.”
Wider trend: AI in cancer pathways
The UK Government has published its National Cancer Plan for England, backed by billions of pounds worth of investments in areas such as digital diagnostics. In line with the “five big bets” set out by the 10-Year Plan, the government draws up plans to increase the use of robotic surgery, publish a new specification for a national registry for robotically assisted surgery by March 2026, and develop new national training standards to support cancer surgeons in becoming “regular and expert users of surgical robots”. By 2035, half a million procedures will use robotic surgery, it suggests. AI tools such as Ambient Voice will help reduce staff time lost to admin tasks, and AI will assist oncologists in planning radiotherapy “more quickly and accurately”, with recommendations from a GIRFT study into maximising productivity in radiotherapy services to be implemented as soon as it is published.
A research collaboration with NIHR, The Royal Devon University Hospital Trust and The University of Exeter, has identified a novel way of interpreting standard blood tests with the potential to help identify cancer earlier. The HelpFlag study applies an algorithm to blood analysis, supporting doctors in detecting differences in blood platelet levels, flagging concerns for GPs along with advice on next steps such as further testing. Following an initial trial in five GP practices, the pilot has now been rolled out to 60 GP practices in Devon, and has also launched in Liverpool. Estimates are that if rolled out across the entire NHS, it could result in 10,000 additional patients per year identified with heightened blood platelet count prior to their cancer diagnosis.
Liverpool-based Spotlight Pathology has secured £1.4 million in seed funding to support the development of its AI-powered blood cancer diagnostics software. The funding round was co-led by the UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund (UKI2S) and Liverpool City Region Seed Fund. Funding will be used toward product development, regulation, and clinical adoption for the company’s AI software capable of analysing digital pathology images to support the earlier identification of blood cancers.
