An NHS cancer innovation programme is set to open in September, with the aim to improve productivity, support managing demand or capacity in cancer care pathways, and to support earlier detection and diagnosis of cancer through screening or diagnostic tools.
Two funding models are offered to support varying stages of innovation maturity and overcome barriers to adoption, with the first offering up to £3 million over a maximum of 24 months for single UK or EU organisations with “demonstrable partnerships” with NHS organisations in England and an independent evaluation partner. “Additional engagement with Cancer Alliances and/or Health Innovation Networks is strongly encouraged,” it states.
The second model is open to ICBs or cancer alliances based in England as the lead applicant, offering up to £5 million over the first 24 months of a project lasting a maximum of 36 months. This funding is said to be designed to support the spread and embedding of mature innovations across multiple sites which have already demonstrated positive patient outcomes, cost benefit, or cost effectiveness, through an outcomes-based, matched funding agreement with ICBs.
In a challenge brief, NHSE outlines potential solutions for improving productivity across AI triage for suspected cancer, AI decision support tools to speed up diagnostic decision making, and digital innovations such as ambient voice tools.
By the end of the project, innovations are expected to be embedded as business-as-usual across involved commissioning and delivery sites, NHSE states, including the tech being commissioned from year three onwards, the decommissioning of legacy services, or the existence of ongoing monitoring and KPIs with clear plans for sustainable funding.
Applications are invited via an online portal which will be available from the competition webpage closer to the September opening date. A recording is available from an earlier briefing webinar to support with the application process.
Wider trend: Transforming cancer care
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, and informed by almost 12,000 responses to an earlier call for evidence from individuals and organisations. 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 national cancer prehabilitation programme being rolled out by the Scottish government in collaboration with Macmillan Cancer Support and the Centre for Sustainable Delivery, is to use digital resources as part of support offered to patients before and during their cancer treatment. The new cancer prehabilitation screening pathway is “designed to fit around people’s lives”, the Centre for Sustainable Delivery states, delivering support at home or in the community, as well as digitally with online resources and remote support. This approach is designed to minimise unnecessary hospital visits and allow people to benefit from support provided in “familiar and convenient” settings, it adds.
Macmillan Cancer Support has launched a library of digital health tools designed for people living with cancer, each independently assessed by the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps (ORCHA) for clinical safety, usability, privacy, and security. Tools are organised around types of cancer and care pathway stages, ORCHA shares, from diagnosis to treatment and ongoing support. Some are specific to cancer, while others offer support with sleep, managing pain, and living with a long-term health condition.
