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The importance of innovation

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By Chris Lewis
This piece has probably been one of the most challenging that I have ever written, because the
subject can be so broad. Most of my writing is in the cancer field, but I am going to write about
some more general issues, and attempt to tie it all together by the end.
My first task is to define the word in simple terms, and this is the best description I have found.
Innovation means doing something new, different, smarter or better, that will make a positive
difference.
As a self-employed business consultant in my life before cancer, I was always looking for solutions
to problems. What could improve things, for both the business and the customer? Not all problems
are solved by spending more money. It is often possible to make small changes to the way you do
things, which can produce beneficial results. In many instances, it is very difficult for the people close
to the business to either see or accept that change is required. That is where a fresh pair of eyes
can really help.
Since cancer entered my life, it, and the treatment associated with it, have battered me for 6 years,
meaning that I have been unable to continue my work. However, old habits die hard, and despite
lengthy spells in hospital, I have been looking at ways to improve things in the current service.
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The main thing that became obvious to me is that there is very little support, for people affected by
cancer, outside the hospital environment. I was shocked to discover that! Before I got sick, I always
assumed that the system would provide support for me where necessary. It is important to add, that I
am not one for even asking for any help, but it would be nice to know if something was there for the
people who may need it.
The fallout from a cancer diagnosis and treatment can be more damaging than the cancer itself, both
physically and emotionally. Causing people to lose their job, partner, house etc and ultimately
creating a downward spiral for that person. As more and more people are affected by cancer, this
problem is increasing. Due to the fact that every case is unique, our previous approach of one size
fits all, is no longer appropriate.
Our population is so much more diverse now than it was even 20 years ago, and I am not convinced
that our support reflects that. Different communities deal with these issues, in contrasting ways. Also
we are only recently starting to get to grips with the different needs of young children compared to
older people. How long has it taken for us to get to single sex wards?
Things have changed dramatically in recent years, and the way we live our lives is now totally
different, with technology playing a massive part in that. However, when I look closer into the cancer
world there are still many things that havent changed. One example of this is support groups. I
would like to start by saying there are some very good ones around. But mostly, they are run by
volunteers, for people who are unwell. Not everyone can make a fixed monthly time, of course, and
for some people, the last thing they really want to do is talk in front of others about their very
personal issues. The attendance becomes sporadic, and after sometime they fold, mostly due to
lack of support in running the group, or attendance drops due to lack of interest.
It is so important to start looking differently, at the way we deal with our healthcare, not just cancer.
Ill health is not something that only happens to other people. Unfortunately it will happen to us all!
We are now living in a 24/7 society, but, we dont have a health service that reflects that! Our GPs
rarely work after 7pm and at the weekends. Million pound machines lay idle, and waiting lists grow,
as we struggle to accept weekend working. By the above definition, this would be innovation.
(Working smarter)
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My business guru is Steve Jobs (Apple.) A recent example of innovation is the ipad. Jobs believed
in it, when no one else could see where it would fit into the market, but his instincts were right, as by
the middle of 2011, the iPad was proving to be a more revolutionary product than even the iPhone
and the iPod. The iPod and iTunes changed the way people bought and listened to music. The
iPhone changed what people could expect from their mobile phones. But the iPad was
turning five industries upside down. It was changing the way consumers bought and read books,
newspapers, and magazines as well as the way they watched movies and television.
He was close to the market, and saw what the next trend might be and created it! He wasnt afraid of
criticism and was always looking to try new things. Today, we have technology to help us, but that is
only really half the story. The biggest battle that I encounter in healthcare is that so many
organisations are closed to the idea of change. An air of suspicion is aroused. Red tape is thrown
up to aid defences, and inevitably innovation is slowed. Ironically the welfare of the patient is cited as
the reason that things cant change! Excuse me, but things may improve if we looking at doing things
differently!
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People tell me that healthcare is not a business, but actually it is, just as charities are too! From my
experience they can all be run leaner and meaner. Innovation is something to embrace, not to fear!
But until we learn that, we will always be holding back progress.

Chris Lewis is an international cancer blogger, speaker, patient and mad Crystal Palace fan. Read
Chris popular blog here: www.chris-cancercommunity.blogspot.co.uk and follow him on
Twitter: @christheeagle1
How Medical Innovation Saved My Life
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By @DominicNutt diabetic and cancer patient
Two years ago I was diagnosed with a rare, incurable cancer. Had it not been for my surgeon, who
pushed the boundaries of accepted treatment, the chances are that I would now be living on death
row. But unless a new Bill is made law, other doctors may be too scared to do the same.
In December 2011, I developed a nagging pain in the lower right side of my stomach and was
admitted to hospital for an emergency appendectomy. However, tests showed there was nothing
wrong with my appendix. But my consultant, told me that by luck they had found on it a rare, 12mm
neuroendocrine tumour (known as a Net).
It had not been responsible for the pain, the cause of which to this day remains a mystery.
I had my appendix removed, which is standard treatment for Nets otherwise, the tumour would
have spread and killed me, because Nets do not respond to chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
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The next bit was tricky. Nets are so rare that there is little knowledge as to how they behave. All
doctors do is make estimates based on limited case studies.
My consultant, a colorectal surgeon, said that standard procedure for a Net of 10mm or smaller is to
remove it, but not to take any other action, since the best guess is that the chance of spread is low.
Anything over 20mm, however, and doctors will remove nearby lymph nodes, the first organs that
cancers normally spread to before invading the rest of the body.
Anything between those sizes, like my tumour, leaves doctors scratching their heads. They would be
entitled to take no action. Also, surgery to remove my lymph nodes would mean slicing out a large
part of my colon, with all the inherent risks. I am an insulin-dependent diabetic, so the hazards of
surgery were even greater for me.
Fortunately, my consultant reviewed my case with other experts and they recommended surgery.
When the results came back, they found a cancerous cell in one of the 17 lymph nodes they had
removed. The cancer had spread, despite very low odds.
This is a tale of a doctor who was prepared to take a risk one that has probably saved my life. But
had there been complications, and had he not found a cancerous cell, I, or my widow, could have
sued.
Last year, spending on negligence claims by the NHS Litigation Authority, which provides indemnity
cover for such claims, was, for the first time, more than 1 billion.
And legal cases against the NHS pending in the litigation pipeline could amount to a bill of 24 billion
around half the UK defence budget.
Frightened of litigation, many doctors do not push the boundaries of medical knowledge, and opt
instead for safe standard procedures.
I tell this tale in support of Maurice Saatchi, who has drafted the Medical Innovation Bill which, if
passed, will allow doctors, with the patients consent and in cases where the evidence on standard
procedures is unclear, to innovate.
It would enable them to review such cases with other experts as my consultant did and come to
a collective decision. Following this process would give them a legal defence if things were to go
wrong.
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The Secretary of State for Health, @Jeremy_Hunt, supports the Bill and has opened it out to a public
consultation. He has told Parliament that if the public responds positively to the consultation, then
the Bill will become law.
Its now in our hands.
Dominic Nutt is part of the Saatchi Bill team.
The Government consultation will launch at the end of January.
This is your chance to make your voice heard and enable all patients to demand the best
possible treatment.
Sign up for our mailing list and we will let you know when the consultation launches: