A new digital system has been in place in Jersey's cancer department for nearly a year, which we're told has led to a reduction in chemotherapy wastage.

The new system - from BookWise and Somerset Cancer Register - has reportedly given staff access to patient data in real time, for the first time. 

This has improved communication between the departments, notably between doctors and pharmacists who prepare chemotherapy treatment. 

Dr Elizabeth Gomes Dos Santos told Channel 103 that in 2024 so far, £40,000 worth of chemotherapy treatment has been saved, that would otherwise have gone to waste.

"We prepare and manage treatments ahead of time. Pharmacy needs to prepare this to give to the patient. 

"But if a patient on the day of treatment is too ill, we have to cancel the treatment. Now we can do this (cancel the treatment) in 'real time'. 

"Pharmacy can now see our changes. Before, we were doing this manually and depending on somebody calling down.

"Sometimes we wouldn't be in time to make that correction, and if the treatment had already been prepared it cannot be kept waiting and must be discarded. 

"In terms of efficiency and being able to do things in 'real time', we're able to reduce the issues with cancelling or changing treatments."

It is also claimed that the digital upgrades have minimised waiting times for patients.

In the long-term, it it is hoped the new way of operating will enable staff to track cancer trends over time and evaluate the effectiveness of treatments.