'Sign up today' - Groundbreaking new app being trialled at Preston's Rosemere Cancer Centre

Cancer patients are being encouraged to download the NHS App to take advantage of a new currently being trialled at Rosemere Cancer Centre.

PKB, which is short for Patients Know Best, is a personal health record platform that patients can log into to see their diagnoses, hospital test results, radiology reports, and care plans. It also gives them a library of individually tailored resources, including links to patient information, support groups, tutorial videos and events relevant specifically to them.

The platform trial, which has received £64,470 funding from the Preston-based Rosemere Cancer Foundation, is designed to empower patients through and after their treatment by giving them instant access to their records plus other resources all in one place at any time.

In addition, the platform provides patients with direct access to their clinical nurse specialist and other key clinical staff, allowing them to message for advice, upload photos, report treatment side effects, or raise any symptoms causing concern 24/7.

Patients can give their loved ones access to their PKB record should they wish. This enables family members and friends to see test results as well as complete questionnaires on the patient’s behalf. PKB also integrates with standard devices, wearables, and apps (such as Fitbit or Strava). This supports patients in monitoring and tracking their progress from physiotherapy sessions or even at the gym, should they have been prescribed a free gym membership as part of their treatment plan.

Gemma Wright, a cancer service improvement facilitator for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LTHTR), which manages Rosemere Cancer Centre at the Royal Preston Hospital, said: “PKB is about empowering patients to play an active role in their health and wellbeing.

“Piloting it among patients attending Rosemere Cancer Centre, the region’s specialist cancer treatment and radiotherapy centre, should enable a demonstration of benefits not just for patients but also in terms of efficiencies for clinical and support staff. We are also anticipating cost savings, such as a reduction in sending out letters and questionnaires to patients, which can now be done digitally via the platform. All the evidence will then go to supporting a decision on a roll-out of PKB across other trusts within the region.”

Gemma added: “With advancements in both cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment, we now have more patients with cancer than ever before. At LTHTR, 300 new patients are diagnosed with cancer every month, which equates to up to 28,800 follow-up appointments a year.

“Providing access to PKB for patients and their carers should help to provide a more personalised service that is also more cost and time efficient to enable resources to be maximised to everyone’s benefit.”

Dan Hill, chief officer of Rosemere Cancer Foundation and head of charities for LTHTR, said: “Our management committee agreed to fund the £64,470 trial of PKB over this year and next following the platform’s adoption by trusts and alliances in other parts of the country.

“In these trusts and alliances, PKB has already proved itself by not only empowering cancer patients but also in making cancer services more cost and time efficient. There is no reason why we shouldn’t expect to experience these same benefits.”

Rosemere Cancer Foundation works to bring world class cancer treatments and services to cancer patients from throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria being treated not only at Rosemere Cancer Centre but also at another eight local hospital cancer units across the two counties.

The charity funds cutting-edge equipment, clinical research, staff training and innovative services and initiatives that the NHS cannot afford in order to make patients’ cancer journey more effective, comfortable and stress-free.