Virtual care - where patients are supported
remotely outside hospital - is rapidly gaining
attention for the advantages it can offer both
for patients and the healthcare system. It can
mean increased convenience, independence,
and overall experience of care, while leading
to lower costs and earlier intervention that can
ultimately save lives.
In 2023 we launched our first Innovation
Challenge, inviting innovators to pitch
solutions using virtual care to improve support
for people living with cancer. The winner was
Huma, who we are supporting with funding
of £75,000 to pilot an innovative digital
assessment tool for systemic anti-cancer
therapy (SACT) - the Huma SACT Digital
Checklist.
By enabling people to have digital
assessments before starting SACT, this tool
could make support more accessible. It
would reduce unnecessary travel to hospital
for immunocompromised patients who are
at risk of exposure to healthcare associated
infections. And it would give them more
autonomy and involvement in their treatment
and care.
With advances in drug discovery leading to
a rise in the number of cancer treatments
available on the NHS, oncology departments
are struggling with demand for SACT. By
replacing the existing screening done
by nurses, this tool has the potential to
significantly release clinical capacity in an
overstretched system, allowing more SACT
treatment appointments to be made available
to people with cancer.
INNOVATION CHALLENGE:
PIONEERING SOLUTIONS IN
VIRTUAL CARE