The future of cancer screening

The covid-19 pandemic has amplified structural failings in the access to cancer screening in the UK. Delays in screening and diagnosis have resulted in an increase in the number of patients with late-stage cancers since the start of the pandemic. However, amid a range of new policy and structural developments across the NHS, there remains a strong opportunity to transform cancer screening services by harnessing the power of digital technology.

Speakers:

• Matthew Swindells, GC Senior Adviser (Chair)
• Baroness Delyth Morgan, Chief Executive Officer, Breast Cancer Now
• Professor Dorota Gertig, Medical Director for Population Health, Telstra Health
• Noel Gordon, Chair, Telstra Health UK Strategic Council

They discussed:

• The impact of the pandemic on access to cancer screening, and what this has meant for patients and clinicians
• The opportunity of forthcoming NHS structural changes and policy changes (including ICS roll-out and the Health and Care Data Strategy)
• How cancer screening has been transformed in other parts of the world, and what lessons can be learned in the UK