NHS Launches App to Beat Cancer Delays
Because “Guess Where Your Scan Is” Was Getting Old
Right then, brace yourselves … the NHS is doing something clever. I know, I know. I nearly dropped my chemo pill organiser in shock too.
Apparently there’s a new App in town. It’s called Cancer 360 and according to the government, it’s going to cut cancer waiting times and save lives. Yes, I’ll repeat that… cut cancer waiting times. That thing we all moan about just after being told we need another scan in six weeks, because someone filed our referral in a dusty box marked “Eventually.”
Now, before we all start hugging strangers and painting murals of Wes Streeting on hospital walls, let’s not forget; we’ve been here before! Not with cancer Apps, but with grand digital promises. Let me remind you about a little thing called Horizon, which did to the Post Office what radiotherapy does to your taste buds… completely nuked the lot.
So I’m cautiously optimistic. Like when the oncologist says, “This chemo might not make you vomit,” and you smile, knowing full well you’ll be redecorating your bathroom floor in about an hour.
Anyway, back to Cancer 360. This App aims to bring together all your cancer data… scans, bloods, referrals, clinical notes… into one shiny, streamlined dashboard. Until now, doctors have had to hunt down test results like they’re on some ghastly hospital-themed episode of The Crystal Maze. “Where’s the MRI scan?” “In the haematology department, locked behind three doors and a grumpy receptionist!”
So yes, anything that stops Dr Patel from needing a treasure map to find your CT scan is a win. Because when you’ve got cancer, waiting for results is like waiting to see if the next chemo session will finally turn you into a human puddle. Time matters. Every minute counts.
They’ve already tested this thing in Bath and at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, and apparently it works. They’re now hitting their 28-day diagnosis targets. Which in NHS terms, is the equivalent of finding a vein on the first cannula attempt. Practically a miracle.
A consultant at Chelsea and Westminster even said it’s made meetings more productive and admin less soul-destroying. She used phrases like “escalate queries” and “streamline pathways”, but let’s translate that into chemo-patient speak… it means fewer cock-ups, fewer delays and more actual treatment instead of sitting around like radioactive wallpaper.
Now let’s not get giddy. NHS Trusts aren’t being forced to use Cancer 360, which makes me nervous. It’s like offering a new chemo drug and saying, “Only use it if you feel like it.” The Trusts that don’t meet referral standards will be encouraged to use it. Which sounds lovely and soft, like trying to politely encourage your white blood cells to come back.
Wes Streeting the health secretary, reckons this is all thanks to £26 billion being pumped into the NHS. Which is great. But let’s hope it goes to the right place, and not into more lanyards, motivational posters and inboxes marked “Pending.”
Our technology secretary, a guy called Peter, said the old pen-and-paper system was putting lives at risk. And he’s absolutely right. Trying to track a biopsy result with a biro and a clipboard is about as effective as treating lymphoma with a Sudoku puzzle.
So here we are. A new App. A big promise. And a lot of hope.
As a cancer survivor, I so want this to work. I want this to be the start of something brilliant. Like when your neutrophils finally bounce back and you’re allowed to eat sushi again. But let’s be honest, the NHS has a patchy history when it comes to technology. Sometimes it’s like giving a chemotherapy pump to a chimpanzee… well-intentioned, but wildly unpredictable.
So yes, Cancer 360 could be fantastic. It could change lives. It might just make the cancer journey less like navigating a hedge maze in the dark and more like following a well-lit path with signposts…and maybe even a map that isn’t written in hieroglyphics. But let’s keep an eye on it. Because the last thing we need is another system that crashes harder than your immune system on day three of cycle two.
Still… hope. And in this world, that’s worth a lot.
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Chris Geiger, Author of The Cancer Survivors Club.
Daily Dose of Disbelief!
Bsky: @chrisgeiger.com
Bsky: @thecancersurvivorsclub.com
Bsky: @dailydoseofdisbelief.com
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