Three hospital projects have received £135,000 to develop and test ideas with the potential to improve cancer services and outcomes for patients.
Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance has awarded the funding as part of its Cancer Research and Innovation Awards to turn ideas into practical research and improvements to services for people living with or undergoing tests for cancer.
The three projects run by Humber Health Partnership will involve a digital patient monitoring system, a new test for women aged 45 and over who have abnormal bleeding and extending treatment for skin cancer to more patients in additional hospital services and in the community.
Aswathi Shanker, Operations Director for the Cancer Network Care Group, said: “Our three projects running on both banks of the Humber will allow us to trial new ways of working, all with the aim of improving care for patients, reduce health inequalities and ensure everyone has access to the best possible treatment and diagnostic services.”
The three projects are among eight to received £325,000 from the Cancer Alliance to help NHS, academic and voluntary-sector partners develop supportive care, including tests, digital patient monitoring, investigations and action to reduce inequalities in lung cancer screening.
SACT ePROMs, awarded £35,000, is new electronic software where patients undergoing Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) can report their progress or symptoms as part of measures to improve monitoring and create capacity for teams to carry out additional patient reviews.
The WID-easy Test for Endometrial Cancer Triage has also received £50,000 to help peri and post-menopausal woman with abnormal bleeding. The team will trial a new test to identify or exclude endometrial cancer using a minimally invasive swab, without the woman having to undergo a more invasive procedure to reduce anxiety and the pressure on waiting lists for diagnostic services.
Clearmark Beyond Plastics is the third project to receive funding of £50,000. It will extend a trial already underway to compare dermoscopy-guided removal of some types of skin cancer to more standard procedures. The trial seeks to improve surgical-margin accuracy and avoid repeat excisions with a view to extending the treatment into hospital dermatology and community health services.
Lucy Turner, Managing Director of Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance, said: “Our funding gives teams the opportunity to turn strong ideas into evidence, whether that means making diagnosis less invasive, bringing care closer to home, improving treatment capacity or tackling inequalities in access.
“We look forward to working with the successful teams and sharing what their projects achieve for patients across Humber and North Yorkshire.”