At a glance

January to March 2021

January 2021

First CytoSponge swallowed by a patient; a vitamin size capsule designed to test patients that are most at risk of developing oesophageal cancer, an alternative to more invasive endoscopy.

New COVID-19 Cancer Equity Data Pack launched on the NCRAS website to support services to reduce inequalities in cancer outcomes.

February 2021

We launched the latest phase of the ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign focusing on lung cancer encouraging anyone with a persistent cough that isn’t COVID to see their GP without delay.

March 2021

We launched a multi-million pound open funding call to all industries for innovation in cancer care and diagnosis to look for exciting innovations that could be scaled up to benefit patients swiftly.

Colon Capsule Endoscopy launched: A miniature camera the size of a pill which patients can swallow to check for cancer is launched, offering a less invasive procedure to check for cancer.

April to June 2021

April 2021

From April 2021, we began a phased approach to widen the population eligible to receive a FIT test to include 50 to 59-year-olds starting with those aged 56 years, to pick up earlier bowel cancer in younger people.

Began providing individual summary reports to patients who complete the Quality of Life survey online, or who request a report via email, improving patient engagement and experience.

May 2021

We announced 5 new clinical audits for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, pancreatic, metastatic breast, ovarian and kidney cancers to reduce unwarranted variation in treatment and outcomes.

The COVID-19 Recovery Task and Finish Group on Psychosocial Support held its first meeting on 11 May 2021 and will deliver recommendations in the Autumn on how psychological support can be fully restored.

June 2021

28 Day Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) stats were published for the first time on 10 June – 72.9% of patients received a diagnosis or ruling out of cancer within 28 days.

An additional £20 million was made available to Cancer Alliances to manage increased volumes of urgent referrals and support cancer services recovery. The models adopted are projected to support over 237,000 cancer referrals.

28,000 Cancer patients have now completed the Quality of Life survey.

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