Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has launched a new self-referral service aimed at supporting the process of getting checked for bowel cancer.

The service utilises cancer detection specialist C the Signs technology, where patients can check their symptoms on the platform and use an online self-referral form if required. The referral form is said to take around 10 minutes to complete and can be completed online or over the phone.

Rosie Edgerley, cancer programme manager, commented: “Our data showed that there are younger people being diagnosed with late-stage bowel cancer in Somerset, with the highest proportion being in the Bridgwater area. We also know that it can be embarrassing for people to talk about their pooing habits with a healthcare professional, which is why we are working with a company called C the Signs to develop an easily accessible online referral form which checks people’s eligibility and allows them to complete a FIT test, which if positive, will lead to further investigations.”

Innovation in diagnostics within healthcare

We recently reported on Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals’ partnership with Newcastle University and the North East Innovation Lab and how they successfully secured £2.56 million for innovations around the diagnosis and treatment of infection. This will focus on diagnosing STIs and UTIs through rapid and accurate DNA analysis using a portable device.

In October, we looked at some of the AI use cases in the NHS, which included seven trusts in the North East and their use of AI technology for early lung cancer detection and diagnosis. This tech was designed to help prioritise cases where an X-ray identifies indications of lung cancer, with reports showing an improvement in diagnostic accuracy and an increase in diagnostic efficiency.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals recently shared how AI and imaging tools have been used to help reduce waiting times of X-rays. This tool was a way to improve and support cancer diagnosis and treatment within the trust, as well as enhancing the patient experience.

Earlier in the month, Somerset NHS FT published an AI Policy, focusing on the need for safe integration, and an approach balancing innovation with ethical and legal responsibilities. Read more here.

Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) has announced a new partnership with Life Sciences Hub Wales designed to “drive healthcare advancements in Wales through digital innovation”, with a series of events planned to promote knowledge exchange and collaboration between academia, industry, and healthcare providers.

The partnership aims to tackle challenges identified across health and care; empower health professionals with the use of innovative health tech; encourage the co-creation of digital health technologies; contribute to job creation and skills development in Wales; and harness “the power of big data” to drive improvements in personalised care.

Cari-Anne Quinn, CEO of Life Sciences Hub Wales, comments that the partnership will create “a dynamic and collaborative environment” with the potential to improve outcomes for patients and for professionals”.

The first event, ‘Big Data, Bigger Picture’, is set to take place in January 2025.

Spotlight on digital transformation at DHCW

Earlier this year DHCW published its organisational strategy for 2024-2030, framed around five key missions: to provide a platform for enabling digital transformation, to deliver high quality digital products and services, to expand the digital health and care record and the use of digital to improve healthcare, to drive better values and outcomes through innovation, and to be a trusted strategic partner and a high quality, inclusive and ambitious organisation.

In the last couple of months, the organisation issued a prior information notice for a software solution to extract patient data from GP systems for secondary uses and direct care purposes; shared plans to procure a new commercial, off-the-shelf digital maternity solution for NHS Wales; and issued a contract notice for a Network as a Service (NasS) solution worth in excess of £2 million.

It also announced the pilot of a new digital service designed to provide a central platform for Welsh Health Boards to allocate places for routine NHS dental treatment at Powys Teaching Health Board, aiming to tackle “significant variation” between Health Board allocation of NHS dentist places.

The wider trend: health innovation

Let’s take a look at some of the top stories on health innovation from the last month.

New strategies were released from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, each focusing on driving innovation culture and utilising tech to improve outcomes for both patients and staff.

The UK government awarded £12 million in funding for projects utilising innovative technologies such as AI, VR and wearable sensors in supporting people with drug addictions and reducing drug-related deaths.

Be sure to join us for a panel discussion on connecting universities and health tech, scheduled for the 19 November, which will share research, approaches, outcomes, learnings, and findings from translating research into practice.

It’s here at long last – we will be announcing the winners of the Health Tech Awards 2024 at 8pm tonight, here on our website.

After months of reading through over 100 entries, our fantastic judges – health tech professionals from across the industry – have narrowed down the many brilliant projects and programmes to select a winner from each category. We’ve had some wonderful feedback from our judges about the hard work and innovation displayed across our entries, including…

“Such a great use of data and potential to use this methodology for many more pathways.”

“Great example of how new tech brings opportunity for greater insights and added value.”

“What amazing results! A brilliant wayto bring all of the information in one place to provide a high level of care.”

Could these comments be about your entry? You’ll have to join us this evening to see – we’ll be launching our digital awards evening here on htn.co.uk at 8pm today (10 October), with the winning entries to be announced via video.

We have 13 worthy winners this year – one for each category, plus an overall Health Tech Awards 2024 winner.

The categories are as follows:

• Innovation of the year
• Major project go live
• Most promising pilot
• Best health tech solution of the year
• Best use of data
• Best solution for clinicians
• Best use of digital for primary care
• Best use of digital for mental health
• Best use of digital for social care
• Best use of digital for community care
• Best use of digital for NHS trusts
• Best use of digital for integrated care systems
• Partnership of the year

To read more about each of our finalists in the lead-up to tonight’s reveal, click here.

And, of course: we wish the best of luck to each of our entries, and thank you for taking part in the Health Tech Awards 2024!

NHS England and Prostate Cancer Research have launched a collaborative research initiative called Prostate Progress which will see the NHS Research Secure Data Environment linking pseudonymised clinical data with patient-reported outcomes, enabling researchers to access “rich, integrated datasets” about prostate cancer care and experiences.

Through the project and its combination of the two sets of data, it is hoped that researchers will be able to gain “unique insights” supporting the increased understanding of the disease and the development of new tests and treatments, along with supporting the planning of new NHS services.

Patients who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer are encouraged to take part to share insights on their experiences, and can find more information here.

The project forms part of NHS England’s Data for Research and Development Programme, and is described as “the first in a series of ‘driver projects'” designed to support innovative uses of health data.

Healthcare data

In recent news around data use, HTN explored Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB’s ‘state of the system’ report, which includes insight into how the ICB is planning to utilise data to support patient care.

We took a look at data shared by Coventry and Warwickshire ICS around its work supporting people at home and improving efficiencies around cardiology care.

HTN covered the King’s Speech 2024, including plans for a smart data bill which aims to ensure the power of data is utilised to support growth, the government, and people’s lives.

On a global scale, we interviewed Cheryl Fenwick Evans, previously a clinical documentation specialist with Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand, about how her team sought to improve post-operative experience using data and the lessons she believes all healthcare systems could learn from the Māori view of data. Click here to read what Cheryl had to say.

Cancer care: the wider trend

What else has been in the news around health tech and cancer care?

Earlier this month we explored a progress update on data research from the All-Island eHealth Hub for Cancer, a partnership focused on developing data platforms and approaches for health data to improve cancer care.

In June we noted the launch of a skin cancer pilot utilising AI to help triage and assess skin lesions in Tameside and Glossop; and we highlighted how a consultant from Cambridge University Hospitals has been awarded a funding grant of up to £365,000 to explore how AI and video can help identify gastric cancer at an earlier stage.

We also examined the Cancer Research UK roadmap, including proposals for addressing early detection and diagnosis through new technologies, enhanced data access for research, and new models of healthcare.

Think tank Policy Exchange has released a report outlining how “ruthless prioritisation of policy will be needed” from new health secretary Wes Streeting to provide clarity and confidence in Labour’s plans to reform the NHS, and identifying five key areas deemed “mission critical” where progress should be demonstrated in the government’s first 100 days.

The five focuses highlighted by Policy Exchange are improving waiting times by reducing list size; improving access to primary care; boosting the medical workforce; focusing on preventative healthcare for children; and effective winter planning.

Suggested priority actions for Labour in the report include sharing hospital-level statistics on waiting lists so that performance can be monitored; establishing and acknowledging the measures and milestones associated with primary care reform; setting a target for all GP practices to offer patients a “full range” of options to book and manage appointments by the end of of this year; and sharing proposals to improve NHS working conditions such as enhancement of the electronic staff record.

Wider recommendations from Policy Exchange include the appointment of an extended ministerial office to enhance technical expertise and delivery capability around key capital investment programmes, such as digital transformation and the new hospital programme; and investigating the potential of a ‘Digital Health and Care Bill’ to examine legal implications of making health data ‘patient-owned’ through channels such as the NHS App. Additionally, the report encourages reform of incentive structures for the adoption of technology, and working with CQC to “ensure regulation involves speedy adoption of new technology”.

The new government and the NHS

In line with Policy Exchange’s report, HTN recently asked our audience: which of Labour’s key areas of focus should take priority for the new government? Read what our audience had to say here.

We explored the plans shared in last week’s King’s Speech around the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill and the Digital Information and Smart Data Bill; and we highlighted Wes Streeting’s order for a full independent investigation to be carried out into the state of the NHS to deliver the “hard truths” facing the national health service.

HTN also reported on Labour’s appointment of two ministers with responsibility for key areas of NHS transformation including the federated data platform, technology and innovation, and cyber security.

And finally, we examined Labour’s manifesto and what it could mean for the NHS in detail here.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, together forming the NHS Humber Health Partnership, have launched a transformation project called ‘Flow’ aiming to reduce unnecessary hospital stays and admissions by streamlining “every stage” of the patient journey.

The project will see each stage of patient progress evaluated, with enhanced board rounds aiming to review every patient daily before 10am in order to perform checks around treatment and discharge, and ‘patient packs’ issued within 24 hours of arrival at the hospital to outline expected treatments.

Plans for Flow include deploying technology to support virtual wards for patients with conditions such as heart failure or COPD, along with utilising “specialist AI software” to analyse blood test results and x-ray reports.

Jonathan Lofthouse, group chief executive of the partnership, said that the project “will create meaningful and lasting change to how 1.65 million people in our region receive hospital care. Every stage of the patient’s journey will be evaluated to ensure people receive the best treatment in the right place when they need it.”

Patient flow in focus

What do organisations need most in order to improve patient flow? We asked our HTN audience where their priorities lie – knowledge of where the challenges are, funding for digital tools, improvement in identifying gaps or provision of an organisational real-time situational view? Check out our readers’ views here.

In May, we highlighted plans from NHS England around increasing urgent and emergency care performance, including funding incentives to support front door services and flow through emergency departments.

We also recently hosted representatives from Kent and Medway ICS for a discussion on their operational control centre model, designed to support the operational response to emerging incidents across regional health and care providers.

Also from the region…

HTN covered the news that Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NFT and Hull University Teaching Hospitals launched a new video game designed to help boost recruitment for pharmacy roles, intended to demonstrate to those with an interest in pharmacy how the team operates within a hospital at ward level.

Earlier in the year, HTN reported on an update around Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust’s virtual ward programme, 12 months after the launch.

We’ve also been exploring the digital and data landscape across the ICS regions in 2024 on a region by region basis; click here to check out our coverage of the North East and Yorkshire.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust is planning a future procurement of a digital experience solution designed to support proactive equipment management.

Specifications set out by the trust include enabling the IT department to proactively monitor and manage the health and performance of equipment across trust facilities; providing real-time data and analytical insights to identify potential issues before they impact operations; providing asset tracking capabilities to optimise equipment utilisation; and integrating with existing infrastructure and systems, with centralised data management.

University Hospitals Birmingham adds that as well as meeting relevant data security and privacy regulations and displaying commitment to ongoing training and support, the vendor must be able to demonstrate experience of deploying such solutions in large healthcare settings, and must come with “strong references from similar deployments in the NHS”.

Interested parties are encouraged to submit responses by 12 August; find out more here.

Procurement elsewhere

Earlier this month, we highlighted how Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Trust shared a tender for an outsourced reporting solution to help overcome the trust’s struggle with staffing levels of consultant histopathologists.

Also from Norfolk, we noted the publication of a tender for a population health management digital solution, capable of offering bespoke data analysis, technical solutions and digital platforms, worth an estimated £1,250,000 to £1,425,000.

From Essex, HTN noted the launch of a tender worth £500,000 for a digital service offer for unpaid carers, which will feature a range of digital content and tools designed to “build resilience”.

And earlier in the summer, we covered the news that the Department of Health and Social Care sought a partner organisation to help deliver projects supporting digital skills development of the adult social care workforce.

In the news from Birmingham

Last month, we explored the 2024/25 annual plan from Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which sets out a key priority to become “a more digitally-enabled and information-driven organisation” and highlights an overarching aim around “equitable clinical prioritisation, influenced by active use of data” as well as a focus on population health data.

We noted the launch of a new study in Birmingham and Solihull which aims to improve the care of people living with psychosis and multimorbidities by co-designing resources based on patient experiences and utilising digital methods of engagement to help involve people.

We also examined Birmingham and Solihull ICS’s 10-year strategy, which the key role of data in tackling inequalities, identifying opportunities for intervention, and enhancing understanding of areas of shared priority.

Applications have opened for the latest round of the CW Innovation Horizon Fellowship programme, designed to encourage staff across Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to share innovative project ideas around improving patient care and experience.

The fellowship offers a range of support for staff, including provision for peer-to-peer support, six learning days across the year, and access to workshops, resources, and events. It also sees mentoring from “high-profile leaders in business, and the health and care sector”, allowing staff to expand their skills and knowledge.

Tom Carlisle, innovation business partner with CW+, said that the programme offers staff a “fantastic opportunity to receive the support they need to bring their innovative ideas to life”.

Previous Horizon Fellow Natalie Nunes developed an idea through the programme involving the use of VR headsets to reduce pain and anxiety for women undergoing manual vacuum aspiration after early pregnancy loss. This tech is now offered for a variety of outpatient procedures across Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, with Natalie stating the programme helped her to realise “what is possible when you have an idea and the support to make it a reality.”

According to the application form, applications will be assessed based on how well they address trust priorities, their potential benefit for the service and patients, their potential impact, and their long-term sustainability.

The deadline for applications is the 4 August 2024, with an announcement of successful projects expected on the 23 August 2024. So far, the programme has reportedly supported 32 members of staff, helping to bring digital projects to fruition across both hospital sites.

To learn more about the programme and how to apply, please click here.

Elsewhere, Innovate UK is working with West Yorkshire Combined Authority to offer a share of up to £500,000 for innovation projects, with the funding to support small and micro businesses grow their innovation activities in the health technologies cluster in West Yorkshire, both during and after the programme.

In other innovation, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has published a new roadmap for the early detection and diagnosis of cancer, identifying major challenges and proposals for addressing them through new technologies, enhanced data access for research, and new models of healthcare.

A new skin cancer pilot has been launched in Tameside and Glossop, featuring an AI platform to help triage and assess skin lesions for suspected cancer.

The trust is one of nine chosen by NHS England to take part in piloting the solution, which was launched last week in preparation for peak suspected skin cancer referrals during the summer months.

The DERM AI solution is said to be capable of classifying 11 different malignant, pre-malignant, and benign skin lesion types, and has so far helped to identify “more than 10,000 cancers” through its existing deployment across 15 NHS sites.

Patients are referred by a GP, before being booked in for an appointment at a Skin AI photographic hub, which produces test results “almost instantly”, potentially allowing patients with suspected lesions to be diagnosed and treated earlier, or to be discharged without needing a face-to-face appointment with a consultant.

The trust hopes that the tech will help to support increasing demand for suspected cancer referrals, and ensure that urgent cases are seen in a more timely manner.

Dr Loma Gardner, consultant dermatologist at Tameside Hospital, spoke of the pilot as a “positive step” toward promoting earlier cancer treatment, adding: “By implementing DERM into our pathway, we will expand our dermatology capacity by discharging patients with benign lesions without the need for an appointment and freeing up clinical time to see patients who really need us.”

To learn more about the new pilot in Tameside and Glossop, please click here.

NHS England recently published its latest Cancer Programme progress update for Spring 2024, highlighting innovations and new technologies in areas of work across early diagnosis, treatment and personalised care, and performance.

Elsewhere, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS FT Consultant gastroenterologist, Dr Massimiliano di Pietro, has been awarded a funding grant of up to £365,000 to explore how artificial intelligence and video can help identify gastric cancer at an earlier stage.

DigitalHealth.London has opened for applications to their new Launchpad programme for the next generation of digital health companies.

The programme supports London-based early-stage companies that are developing innovations or processes focused on transforming health and care, and allows them to launch new products or services to the wider NHS staff and patients. The Launchpad programme wants to support digital health companies with a ‘high potential’ to meet the current challenges facing the NHS and social care.

Speaking of the previous success of the programme, Sara Nelson, Programme Director of DigitalHealth.London said, “We’ve supported 26 early-stage companies to launch products as part of the programme so far, and these innovations are now improving experiences for both NHS staff and patients.”

The Launchpad will support the companies by providing access to a range of knowledge-sharing events that can help them better understand the demand for products and bring their own products or solutions to the market.

Sophie Brooks, Co-founder of Lister and participant in the fourth Launchpad cohort, commented: “We have been supported by a great team who’ve helped us pinpoint and define the value of our product, as well as supporting us with our evidence standard.”

She added: “The support of the DigitalHealth.London Launchpad programme has been instrumental in launching our product in the NHS.”

The programme will be able to offer up to 12 hours of support to early-stage companies that can consist of workshops and tailored one-to-one guidance from consultants in DigitalHealth.London. In addition, advice from strategic partners will diversify and bring a wider range of expertise and knowledge across healthcare innovation to developing companies.

Sara commented: “If you’re a digital health company developing a product or service that tackles the current challenges facing the NHS, I’d urge you to consider applying for this programme.”

More information can be found here.