News

Funding awarded by the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Cancer Alliance in conjunction with the Yorkshire and Humber AHSN of over £100,000 is helping to progress four innovative projects to improve cancer outcomes for patients in our region and inspire colleagues to think differently.

The Cancer Innovation Award Scheme 21/22 was launched in January 2022 and was such a success that it is now open again for a second round for 22/23.

Cancer Innovation Award Scheme Winners – 21/22

The 21/22 Award Scheme saw eleven applicants bid, with seven applicants shortlisted to present to a Dragon’s Den style panel of experts. Four winners were successful and awarded funding totalling £109,574.

The exciting projects awarded the cash boost for the 21/22 Award Scheme included a trial of new Artificial Intelligence by staff at Royal Hallamshire Hospital looking to revolutionise Breast Cancer Diagnosis. The PANProfiler Breast (PPB) tool has the potential to significantly reduce the turnaround time for breast cancer diagnosis, and ultimately improve efficiency and reduce cost.

A second project to be awarded funding is using the grant to develop a symptom-checker style app initially aimed at Head and Neck cancer patients. Applicants from Doncaster Royal Infirmary are developing the interactive app, which will look to simplify communication between patients and clinicians by allowing patients to self-report symptoms.

Sheffield Children’s Hospital were another successful bidder for the 21/22 Award Scheme and are using the funding to improve the accessibility of exercise and physical activity support for children and young people living with cancer. The team are using the funding to employ a Band 3 Exercise and PA Therapist (EPAT) to provide community-based support to the 70% of patients living outside the Sheffield area.

The fourth and final successful applicant of the 21/22 round was Sheffield Hallam University, who are looking to use the grant to facilitate a study into the facilitators, barriers and benefits of face to face versus live remote delivery of rehabilitation exercises for cancer patients, with the ambition of evidencing whether a remote delivery model is a safe alternative post-pandemic.

Cancer Innovation Award Scheme 22/23

After the success of the 21/22 round, the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Cancer Alliance are pleased to announce that a second round has been launched in partnership with the Yorkshire & Humber AHSN for 22/23 and is open now to applications, closing on Monday 19^th December 2022.

For this second round, grants of between £10k and £25k are on offer to successful applicants within the region’s health and care services, including voluntary, community and charitable sector organisations.

 Dr Nigel Beasley, South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Cancer Alliance Research and Innovation Lead, said,

“Building on our successful Cancer Innovation Award Scheme in 2021/22, our aim is to continue to improve the experiences and life chances of anyone in our region affected by cancer. Again for 2022/23, we’re looking for projects or new ways of working that could be adopted to help make this happen. Whether a project has already begun, is yet to be piloted or has proved successful in one area already, we will support real world innovations that can bring benefits to patients by being rolled out or adopted into other areas.”

Once again, the Cancer Innovation Award Scheme is open to both single organisation and collaborative bids from organisations across Barnsley, Bassetlaw, Doncaster Rotherham and Sheffield.

Neville Young, Yorkshire & Humber AHSN Director of Enterprise and Innovation, said:

“We’re pleased to be supporting the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Cancer Alliance with Round 2 of the Cancer Innovation Awards Scheme. It is a fantastic opportunity to adopt and encourage new ways of improving cancer care and survival across the region. Sarah Dew will be representing the YHAHSN on the board this year and we are excited to see the impact the successful applicants will have in region in the coming year.”

For an application form or further information about the scheme, please visit SYB ICS Cancer Alliance Innovation Award Scheme: Application Form (2) (Page 1 of 5) (office.com)

 Alternatively, contact the SYB Cancer Alliance via email at k.leivers@nhs.net