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.
Popular apps, according to the library’s home page, include Careology’s cancer care app, ByYourSide cancer support app, and SkinVision’s find skin cancer app. A category for practical help also offers tools for cancer information, tracking appointments, tracking medications, and keeping on top of symptoms.
“People living with cancer are increasingly turning to apps to help them manage their health, find information, and feel less alone,” says Macmillan’s lead medical adviser Anthony Cunliffe. “What’s been missing is a reliable way to know which tools are actually safe and worth their time. This library gives people living with cancer exactly that: a trusted starting point, backed by independent assessment, so they can focus on what matters.”
ORCHA highlights ambitions to continue to grow and develop the library, inviting digital health companies offering relevant products for cancer care and support to apply to be part of the scheme. As well as an initial assessment through ORCHA’s platform, products will be subject to ongoing reassessment as they evolve, it shares.
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.
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust has issued a preliminary market engagement notice for a cancer management system, looking to understand available options and inform the development of a procurement strategy. The procured solution will be used to support end-to-end management of cancer pathways, covering patient tracking, MDT coordination, pathway management, treatment planning, and data integration. According to the notice, the trust is seeking to ensure the resulting specification reflects current best practice and innovation in cancer care management technologies, with interested suppliers invited to a “demonstration phase” aimed at reviewing system capabilities and alignment with organisational needs. During this process, interoperability, core functionalities, and system architecture will be reviewed.
