WES STREETING: 'NHS tech upgrade will be a revolution for cancer care'

WES Streeting says plans to upgrade NHS cancer care from a service “fax machines” to ground breaking new technology will be a “revolution” for millions of patients.

Cancer 360, a new data system to be rolled out across the health service after a successful trial, will slash treatment delays and waiting times for millions in the next decade.

And it will ensure early warning signs aren’t missed.

I know from personal experience how important a quick diagnosis is, and there is no doubt the NHS saved my own life,” the Health Secretary wrote for the Sunday Mirror.

Read his full piece below

“I went into A&E with kidney stones, but thanks to a meticulous doctor, I came out with a cancer diagnosis. That is the best of the NHS in action – and that’s why I am taking the best of the NHS to the rest of the NHS.”

The system will bring every cancer patient’s data - including test results and details of appointments and treatments together, so clinicians only have to go to one place to find key information.

It’ll mean medical professionals can prioritise those most in need and see patients quicker.

A pilot scheme at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London saw impressive results from the new tool.

In 2022, some 71.5% of patients got a diagnosis within 28 days - but that increased to 84.7% after the tool was introduced.

Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle said: “I've seen first-hand the stress and heartbreak that cancer causes in my own family.

“Dependent on archaic pen-and-paper systems, life-saving diagnostics appointments hung on whether a post-it note lost its stick, or a piece of paper went missing. That put lives at risk, and with the technology we have today, there’s no reason for any part of our healthcare service to run in such a way.

“Simply by keeping accurate records, the technology we are putting to work today will cut waiting times and save lives, delivering on our Plan for Change. That way, people can once again trust that their local hospital has the tools it needs to focus on what matters – treating their loved ones and keeping families together for longer.”

Dr Rubina Ahmed, Deputy Director of Research, Policy and Services at Blood Cancer UK, said: “The 280,000 people living with or in remission from blood cancer in the UK should be readily able to access the care they need, whether they have leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma or another type of blood cancer.

“To make the best clinical decision for each blood cancer patient, clinicians must be able to see all the information they need at the point of consultation, whatever the setting.

“As everything is recorded electronically, it is often surprising to people with blood cancer that this information is not already readily available. Yet due to system failures, this has frequently been the case, resulting in a huge waste of healthcare professionals' time, unanswered questions for people with blood cancer and shocking delays in care.

“As highlighted in our UK Blood Cancer Action Plan we welcome the Government’s ambition to improve this issue and the much-needed investment to modernise NHS systems. We’ll be watching the roll out of this tool and wider investment closely, to ensure people with blood cancer aren’t left behind.”

By WES STREETING, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

WHEN I came into office, I said the NHS was broken. A decade of underinvestment left staff frustrated and patients waiting.

But I also said it wasn’t beaten, and Lord Ara Darzi agreed in his investigation into the NHS that what it needed was both investment and reform to fix it.

The Chancellor delivered that record investment at the Budget last autumn, making the difficult but necessary choices to put in £26 billion extra to improve care and deliver an additional 40,000 appointments a week.

I firmly believe that technology will drive the reform needed to match that investment. We are in the foothills of a scientific and technological revolution that is changing the world around us. And I want Britain to be leading this new era.

That’s why I’m announcing the roll-out of pioneering new tech across our NHS that will revolutionise cancer diagnosis for staff and patients, as we turn the NHS from a service run on fax machines to one able to share data, partner with innovators, and adopt new technologies at scale.

Too often our archaic IT can’t even get the basics right, with medics painstakingly scouring a complex labyrinth of databases, spreadsheets, and even emails to find key data and information about a cancer patient. That data is crucial to diagnose people quickly, spot patients in need of urgent attention, and provide lifesaving treatment.

That’s why we’re using funding from the Budget to roll out the ground-breaking new system Cancer 360. This will bring every cancer patient’s data together – so medical teams have everything they need in one place.

Piloted at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, the tool led to outstanding results. The percentage of patients receiving a diagnosis within 28 days rose dramatically from 71.5% in November 2022 to 84.7% in November 2024.

It will help track a patient’s progress, avoid devastating diagnosis delays, and even produce personalised treatment plans. Most importantly, it will mean early warning signs aren’t missed so cancer patients don’t fall through the cracks.

I know from personal experience how important a quick diagnosis is, and there is no doubt the NHS saved my own life. I went into A&E with kidney stones, but thanks to a meticulous doctor, I came out with a cancer diagnosis. That is the best of the NHS in action – and that’s why I am taking the best of the NHS to the rest of the NHS.

Through our Plan for Change and the difficult but important decisions taken at the Budget, we are delivering this seismic shift in care from analogue to digital.

It’s a long road, but we will reform the NHS to fix it and make it fit for the future.