Digital is the essential bridge to equity in cancer care
Ahead of World Cancer Day, Piyush Mahapatra (Consultant T&O Surgeon, Surgery, Anaesthetic & Cancer Innovation Lead at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Open Medical Chief Innovation Officer) discusses what the National Cancer Plan must focus on to enable equal access to cancer care.
As an innovator in the cancer space, I’ve seen firsthand the anxiety that defines the “waiting game” for patients. World Cancer Day serves as a poignant annual reminder that every statistic we discuss in boardrooms and clinical briefings represents a person, a mother, a father, a friend, waiting for the news that could change their life forever.
At Open Medical, our mission is to replace that uncertainty with clarity.
For too long, the NHS has grappled with the “Faster Diagnosis Standard” (FDS) as a distant target. However, as referral volumes double, we must shift our perspective. We can no longer view technology as a luxury or an “add-on” to traditional care; we must see it as an essential step towards equity and sustainability.
Making faster diagnosis a reality
The data from our recent implementations proves that the digital-first approach isn’t just about efficiency, it’s about clinical excellence. In the Northern Cancer Alliance (NCA), we saw the median time from referral to diagnosis slashed by 14 days by utilising our digital skin cancer pathway platform, Pathpoint eDerma. We achieved a 78.64% success rate in meeting the 28-day diagnosis standard, significantly outperforming traditional face-to-face clinics (70.90%), even as the system faced an 88% surge in referrals.
This isn’t just about moving faster; it’s about moving smarter. In East Kent (EKHUFT), our model achieved a 95% discharge or definitive treatment decision rate via teledermatology. By reducing the need for full diagnostic biopsies by 18%, we aren’t just saving the NHS up to £135 per patient pathway; we are clearing the bottlenecks in histopathology that slow the entire journey.
The essential bridge to equity
Digital triage is being used to address the health inequalities and ‘post-code lottery’ of care patients face in our country. The data shows that patients in our most deprived coastal and rural communities often face the highest barriers to care.
Our community-based model in East Kent is saving patients in the most deprived areas an average of 69 minutes in travel time per appointment and average of £17.90 per diagnosis compared to traditional clinics.
Our analysis confirmed that diagnosis times remained equitable across all deprivation deciles. Whether you are in an affluent suburb or a struggling coastal town, the experience of your cancer care should be of an equally high standard.
Technology also allows us to hear from voices that were previously sidelined. By moving to digital Patient Reported Experience Measures (PREM), we’ve captured a more diverse cross-section of the population, ensuring our pathways are built for everyone, regardless of ethnicity or background.
A sustainable future for the NHS
A faster journey is also a more sustainable one. By bringing care into the heart of local communities, we reduced total patient travel distance in East Kent by nearly 85%, saving over 3,500 kgCO2e. We also saw a shift in behaviour: nearly a quarter of patients walked to their appointments at community sites, compared to 0% for traditional hospital clinics.
When we combine this with the fiscal reality of saving the NHS up to £45 per referral, the case for digital transformation becomes undeniable.
Building a kinder journey
We aren’t just building software; we are building a faster, kinder, and more equitable journey for every patient. My hope for the National Cancer Plan is that we stop discussing the “hows” and “whys” of technology and start implementing what is already proven.
We need to stop seeing innovation as a luxury and start seeing it as the foundation of a modern, equitable health service.
