New dashboard for doctors on NHS will improve cancer care say Government
All NHS trusts are to have access to a new tool that brings key patient information together so medical teams can easily spot those in need of urgent attention.
Today (Sunday 4th May) The Government has announced a new tool - Cancer 360 – to bring together patient data into one central system, so clinicians can prioritise those most in need.
The Government calculate that it will benefit millions over the next decade.
With blood cancer survival lagging behind other countries, Blood Cancer UK’s UK-wide Blood Cancer Action Plan set out the urgent need to improve care for those affected by Blood Cancer.
According to the Government, the Cancer 360 tool creates a dashboard where clinicians will have information they need about their patients in one place, rather than across various systems, spreadsheets, emails, and records.
As everything is recorded electronically, it is often surprising to people with blood cancer that this information is not already readily available.
- Dr Rubina Ahmed, Blood Cancer UK
The investment for the tool comes from their Autumn Budget, and the tool will help clinical teams track a patient’s progress, avert delays, and even produce personalised treatment plans.
Cancer 360 is soon to be rolled out across all NHS Trusts after pilots at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and Royal United Hospital Bath.
What did our expert have to say about the news?
Dr Rubina Ahmed, 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.”
A clinician's reaction
Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Suraiya Abdi, at Chelsea and Westminster Foundation Trust, spoke about the tool.
“Cancer 360 has enabled my team to monitor and safely carry our patients through their cancer pathway.” As well as adding “The tool has reduced the amount of admin time spent by our cancer team therefore enabling them to focus on the patient journey.”
