Our Cancer Innovation Strategy 2025 - 2028
Recognising that cancer remains a priority for the NHS, with over 1,000 new cases diagnosed daily in the UK, our Cancer Innovation Strategy, created in partnership with Health Innovation West of England, sets out a clear vision to enhance cancer clinical outcomes by fostering development, adoption, and spread of innovative solutions. This will ensure earlier and faster diagnosis, more effective treatment pathways, and improved patient care.
Our Vision
Driving innovation to elevate cancer care - delivering earlier and faster diagnoses, more personalised treatments, and enhance outcomes for every patient.
Strategic Aims
- Empower our workforce and communities by developing and establishing a culture of innovation.
- Drive purpose-led innovation initiatives that will support the needs of the patient and workforce, focusing on equity of access and equality of outcomes.
- Lead with integrity through effective oversight and monitoring of the innovation programme and collaborate with national and regional partners to promote and share innovation best practice.
What does this mean for our:
Patients and Carers
We will ensure the views of our patients and carers are central to our work on innovation. We will ensure that they are brought on our journey to co-develop plans to embrace new technologies and ways of working within cancer services.
Workforce
We will support our workforce to explore innovative ways to improve patient care and outcomes and streamline pathway processes. We will co-design and implement a training and education programme to ensure colleagues feel empowered and confident to deliver innovation locally.
Health and Care Systems
We will work in collaboration with our NHS, research, industry, local government, community partners, patients and carers to be at the forefront of digital and innovative cancer care.
Innovation Support Resources
Health Innovation Network West of England launched their West of England Academy which has a bank of free resources and learning opportunities for any health care professional, frontline worker, support service provider, or innovator.
It covers the entire innovation journey from ideation to implementation and how to develop creative ideas, test solutions and drive meaningful change.
Access their Academy here.
SWAG Innovates Together
We have launched a new collaborative innovation forum, SWAG Innovates Together, designed to connect and inspire our workforce across the SWAG region and share innovative learning and best practice in cancer care. Find out more.
Innovation Case Studies
Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad: Improving access to cancer vaccine trials
As cancer survival rates are improving, the NHS is exploring new innovative options of immunotherapy with the aim to reduce recurrence. NHS England has set a target to recruit 10,000 patients with different types of cancer into studies of personalised cancer vaccines by 2030; this project went live in the spring of 2024, in something known as The Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP). Read more.
Southwest Radiotherapy Late Effects Services: Improving personalised care for patients following treatment
While cancer survival rates continue to improve, a significant proportion of patients experience long-term side effects from treatments following radiotherapy. SWRLES plays a crucial role in improving health outcomes for cancer survivors by delivering specialised, local, person-centred care for managing radiotherapy-related complications. Read more.
