Transforming Cancer Services Through Automation

Published On: June 18, 2025|

East Cheshire NHS Trust transform their cancer investigation processing, reducing manual data entry from hours to seconds while still achieving complete pathway visibility.

When processing cancer investigation data between clinical systems became overwhelming due to surging patient volumes, East Cheshire NHS Trust partnered with e18 Innovation to deploy an intelligent Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solution. The result was an intelligent digital workforce that systematically processes cancer investigation data, eliminates administrative burden, and enhances pathway performance.

East Cheshire NHS Trust faced mounting pressure in their cancer services, with a 100% increase in cancer patient tracking lists over five years, whilst maintaining the same staffing levels due to financial constraints. The manual process of loading radiology investigations from the CRIS system into Somerset cancer register had become particularly problematic. Staff were spending hours during MDT preparation on repetitive data entry. The team implemented a comprehensive RPA solution that restructured the entire workflow from an ad hoc manual process into a systematic, trigger-based automation. In turn, leveraging the Trust’s existing Power BI reporting infrastructure.

Increase Efficiency

Significantly Increased Efficiency

Boosts Workforce Morale and Capability

Enhanced Data Quality

Enhanced Interoperability Between Systems

Improved Patient Pathways

Enhance Candidate Experience

Reduced Administrative Burden

Enhances Data Quality

Better Pathway Visibility

Better Data Quality

Consistent Data Recording

Using Intelligent Automation to Transform Cancer Investigation

e18 Innovation has worked closely with East Cheshire Trust to implement this innovative RPA solution fundamentally transforming how cancer investigation data is processed and managed.

The solution comprises three interconnected processes:

• A collector that gathers data into structured work queues

• An executor that processes each investigation systematically

• A comprehensive reporting mechanism that provides transparency and exception handling.

The key technical components include an automated data extraction from CRIS radiology system, intelligent validation and mapping of investigation codes, and systematic processing into Somerset cancer register. Real-time exception handling and reporting is vital to the system, and its integration with existing Power BI and clinical systems encompasses scalable architecture for future automation expansion.

Joe Leonard – Patient Access Data Manager, East Cheshire NHS Trust

“This allows us to have a really consistent way of knowing how the data has gone into Somerset. We now have improved monitoring of the pathway pinch points as the investigations are going on – we can monitor this a lot easier with the actual system itself through our reporting tools.”

What’s Next?

The success has enabled expansion of the automation programme, with similar processes now being deployed for Patient Administration System (PAS) investigations, the Electronic Referral Service (eRS), and CRIS extract distribution. Future developments include pathology upgrades and proactive patient tracking capabilities.

Louise Wall – Managing Director, e18 Innovation

“At e18 Innovation, we’re passionate about transforming patient pathways through faster, more accurate diagnostics. Our extensive expertise in cancer services automation, as demonstrated by our work with East Cheshire NHS Trust, allows us to significantly impact patient outcomes by freeing up clinicians to focus on what matters most: patient care.”

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