Nurses can now diagnose cancers using their iPhone, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need more NHS doctors
A lack of doctors is part of the reason why Britain is diagnosing people with cancer later so they die earlier.
That is the brutal truth confirmed in a recent report by Macmillan Cancer Support which concluded 2023 was the worst year on record for cancer treatment delays in England and that UK cancer survival rates are up to 25 years behind other European countries. As the Government tries to reverse the damage inflicted on the NHS by a decade-long funding squeeze – new tech might just be coming to the rescue.
Nurses are being given a device with a 32mm lens which links to their iPhone which takes images that can be reviewed remotely by a hospital consultant for any traces of cancer.
Health minister Karin Smyth described it as “a shining example of how innovation and research can tackle waiting lists… and speed up diagnosis”. She added: “Using the app, patients can access a potentially lifesaving consultation. By catching cancer earlier and treating it faster, we can ensure more people survive this horrible disease.”
As well as diagnosing people weeks earlier it also means thousands of patients will be given the all-clear for throat cancer within 24 hours by a consultant rather than waiting weeks fearing the worst after a referral for suspected cancer. This can reduce the productivity of hospital specialists – however it does not remove the need for more of them.
The Endoscope-i device is an example of what is purchased using the NHS capital spending budget which has been starved of resources for years. Once the Tories’ record funding squeeze started costing lives in significant numbers from around 2016 onwards, hard pressed NHS trust managers prioritised day-to-day spend on covering shifts over shiny new equipment.
The capital budget was raided but will now finally start to be replenished. The Government has provided an extra £3.1 billion capital funding over the next two years. This is how the NHS will become more efficient but is only part of the answer.
All the equipment in the world will not remove the need for staff to operate it and the cost of employing staff makes up almost half of the NHS budget.
To truly get more out of the health service we still need to put more in and that means returning annual funding increases to at least the 5.5% levels last seen under New Labour. It means investing in more staff and beds – both measures on which we have fallen well behind our European neighbours who boast better health outcomes as a result.
The last Labour government rescued a health service which was struggling with a bad back but this Labour Government will have to resuscitate one on life support. Cutting NHS funding has proved a false economy as Britain’s population health has declined, so more people are out of work due to sickness, hitting tax revenues.
With the NHS the inescapable fact remains, that you get what you pay for.
