The UK government has announced an investment of over £130 million for new tech to tackle cancer and debilitating illnesses.
The news means that thousands of NHS patients could receive faster diagnosis and better treatment for life-changing diseases like cancer, dementia and Parkinson’s.
The “significant” government investment could help new research to improve treatment, diagnosis and care options for devastating diseases including cancer.
Details of how it will help thousands of people across the country living with debilitating, painful and/or sometimes life-threatening diseases have been unveiled, such as faster, more accurate diagnosis, and earlier interventions.
Investments to the tune of £50 million will be pumped into NHS diagnostic services and support the work of existing Centres of Excellence in digital pathology and imaging with artificial intelligence.
Gov UK also a announced that adult social care will receive a new cash injection of £7.5 million to use research to improve care delivery for some of the most vulnerable people, and £14 million for bioscience projects and technologies across the UK that could, for example, treat osteoarthritis and develop new vaccines.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who is a big advocate for a technology revolution within the NHS, said “We’ve got to bring NHS technology into the 21st century. I’ve seen for myself how better technology and diagnosis can save clinicians’ time so they can concentrate on care.
“The NHS is now spearheading world-leading technologies that can transform and save lives through new treatments, diagnosis techniques and care. I’m determined that the benefits of these advances will improve the lives of thousands of patients whose conditions have long been considered life-limiting.
“Combined with this new funding, none of this would be possible without the long-term plan, backed by an extra £33.9 billion a year for the NHS.”
A further £69.5 million of the total investment through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will help fund four other British projects: ‘Nucleic Acid Therapy Accelerator: NATA’, ‘The Advanced Pain Discovery Platform’, ‘UK Centre of Evidence Implementation in Adult Social Care’, and tackling multimorbidity at scale.
