Airedale NHS Foundation Trust has won funding from the West Yorkshire & Harrogate Alliance to bolster its cancer care service with digital cancer care platform, Careology.
From January, patients at the award-winning Airedale NHS Foundation Trust will be introduced to the Careology app to support them through their cancer treatment. The Trust will be the first in the North to offer this pioneering new digital innovation, connecting patients to their healthcare team and empowering them throughout their own treatment.
On a daily basis, patients with cancer manage complex situations from understanding their diagnosis, to managing symptoms and side effects, medication schedules and appointments and travel. Grasping the significance of monitoring symptoms and side effects can be overwhelming so access to advice and support from the healthcare team is vital.
In addition to the care and support the cancer teams at Airedale already provides, the new app will enable patients to self-manage and better understand aspects of their treatment including managing medication, side effects and symptom tracking, and provide access to the right information at the right time about their treatment.
The patient-reported information will be available on the Careology Professional dashboard for Airedale cancer teams to have consistent access to how their patients are managing their condition. By combining the best of both human and digital cancer care, the app aims to empower patients with personalised information and support and help them get access to early intervention, whether that be information or clinical treatment from the Acute Oncology team.
Last year Airedale NHS Foundation Trust provided over 10,400 individual cancer intravenous treatments. The immediate benefits of the partnership will be improved patient experience and education. It is anticipated that with increased knowledge patients will feel empowered and reassured and reduce the need for hospital admissions. Clinical teams will be able to work more efficiently, knowing their patients are better informed to manage the side effects of their treatment.
Caroline Salt, Lead Cancer Nurse at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said: "It’s exciting to see Airedale leading the way on the Government’s agenda for digital innovation within the NHS. Cancer care in particular has scope for innovative development, and we are taking a lead in delivering the NHS’ three Big Shifts to digital, care closer to home, and prevention through this new partnership which will benefit both our patients and clinical teams.
"This app is an exciting addition to the way our fantastic cancer teams work, to ensure our patients receive the best possible care at a difficult time. It means patients will have access to up to date information in the comfort of their own home, at a time that they need it most."
The immediate impact of digital cancer care can be seen in recent data produced by Lloyd’s Clinical in partnership with Careology. During a three-month period, the partnership demonstrated a 70% reduction in unnecessary hospital admissions from people being treated for cancer.
Paul Landau, Founder and CEO of Careology, commented: "We are thrilled to be working with Airedale to address some of the challenges that cancer care is facing across the UK and beyond. As incidence rates of cancer rise, Careology’s technology is uniquely placed to enable more efficient care. By giving oversight of how patients are outside of their appointments, those who need in-person or urgent care can be triaged effectively. Not only does this improve individuals’ experience of treatment but also improves efficiency and services at a higher level."
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust’s bid for £228,000 was one of four out of 57 to win funding. The aim of these projects is to support innovation that is directly focused on cancer service recovery and development.
Jason Pawluk, Managing Director of the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance, said: “As in previous years, our innovation competition attracted high quality entries from across the local system, and this was no exception. We invested in this impressive proposal because of the opportunities to improve care for people receiving mainly non-surgical oncology treatments and the possibility of sharing learning from Airedale more widely across the patch, subject to evaluation.
“Cancer Alliances promote digital innovation opportunities as part of the measures proposed in the new NHS ten-year plan, including promoting personalisation, choice, and reduced barriers to access for people affected by cancer.”
For more information about digital cancer care, please visit www.careology.health.
