The Cancer Innovation Awards Scheme is delivered by South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Cancer Alliance in partnership with Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber (formally the Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network (YHAHSN). The awards are designed to support initiatives aligned with the objectives set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, in particular around improved access to diagnostics, reducing health inequalities and personalised care and support.
Individual grants of between £10k and £30k are offered to successful applicants within the region’s health and care services, including voluntary, community and charitable sector organisations. Applications should support the Cancer Alliance in achieving the objectives as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan and which directly support cancer service recovery, aligns to CORE20plus5 and contributes to the achievement of:
Applicants are asked to define how their proposals will support one or more of the following key activities, ensuring reducing health inequalities and improved outcomes are key considerations:
Information and updates on previous projects can be found below.
If you would like to find out more about the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Cancer Innovation Award Scheme email info@yhahsn.com or k.leivers@nhs.net
Four projects secured funding through the fourth round of the Cancer Innovation Award Scheme which aims to promote improvement and innovation in cancer services.
After its continued success over a number of years Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber (formally the Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network) once again has supported the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Cancer Alliance to deliver the Cancer Innovation Scheme.
The awards are designed to support initiatives aligned with objectives set out in the Cancer Plan for 2024/25:
Identify, fund, support, evaluate and share learnings from early diagnosis initiatives with a particular focus on the tumour sites with the highest volume of late-stage diagnoses in your area and deprived groups with lower rates of early diagnosis.
The focus for innovation identified by South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw included the following areas:
The successful applicants were:
Project update - July 2026:
Seeing the Unseen: The Rad Chat Image Library
For too long, medical imagery has failed to reflect the diversity of the patients it serves. This gap has real consequences—particularly in cancer care, where recognising treatment side effects quickly and accurately is essential.
The Rad Chat Image Library was created to address this imbalance. By building a free, accessible collection of images showing cancer treatment side effects across a wide range of skin tones, the project has reshaped how healthcare professionals learn, diagnose, and communicate.
What began as a simple idea has grown into a widely used educational resource, accessed over 200,000 times. Clinicians report greater confidence in identifying symptoms, while patients benefit from more informed, inclusive care.
At its heart, the project is rooted in co-production. By working closely with patients, it ensures authenticity and trust—reminding us that representation in healthcare is not a ‘nice to have’, but a necessity.
Looking ahead, the library continues to grow through crowdsourced contributions and holds potential for integration into future technologies, including AI. Its impact is already clear: when people can see themselves reflected in healthcare, outcomes improve.
Bringing support closer to home: High Street Rawmarsh
In Rawmarsh, a different kind of transformation has taken place—one built not on technology, but on trust.
The Talk Cancer project set out to create a community-led model of support in an area facing significant health inequalities. Rather than expecting people to engage with traditional services, the project brought conversations, support, and wellbeing activities directly into the heart of the community.
Through events, peer groups, and informal spaces, over 100 people have connected—not just with services, but with each other. For many, this has meant reduced isolation, improved wellbeing, and, crucially, increased confidence in seeking help.
The results speak volumes: 95% of participants reported feeling less isolated. But beyond the numbers lies something harder to measure—a renewed sense of belonging and empowerment.
The journey hasn’t been without challenges. Changing behaviours like screening uptake takes time, and some people remain hesitant to engage with anything labelled ‘cancer’. Yet the project has shown that when support feels local, informal and trusted, barriers begin to fall.
While future funding remains uncertain, the relationships built—between volunteers, residents, and services -offer a lasting foundation for continued impact.
CareBeyond Treatment: The Orangery Wellbeing Project
Cancer care doesn’t stop at diagnosis or treatment - it extends into how people feel, cope, and recover. The Orangery project recognises this, offering digital wellbeing support designed to fit around people’s lives.
Through online mindfulness sessions, Tai Chi, and other accessible resources, the project has created new ways for people to care for their mental and physical wellbeing - without the need to travel or navigate complex systems.
For those in deprived areas, this has been particularly important. By removing practical barriers and using simple tools like QR codes, the project has widened access and reached people who might otherwise go unsupported.
Participants report reduced anxiety, improved relaxation, and better overall wellbeing. The feedback is consistently positive, reflecting the value of flexible, person-centred support.
Now embedded within hospice services, the project demonstrates how low-cost digital approaches can deliver meaningful impact - provided they are actively promoted and supported by trusted professionals.
Healing in Nature: Rhubarb Farm
In Bassetlaw, healing is taking place outdoors.
At Rhubarb Farm, a therapeutic horticulture programme is helping people living with and beyond cancer to rebuild strength, confidence, and connection. What was once a disused space has been transformed into a welcoming, accessible environment where recovery is nurtured through nature.
Participants attend regular sessions, with some engaging in longer placements lasting up to 19 weeks. For many, the programme offers more than activity - it provides purpose, routine and community.
The impact is profound. Participants report significant improvements in wellbeing, alongside reductions in anxiety and isolation. Physical health improves too, with increased stamina and mobility. Peer support networks flourish, creating lasting connections.
Importantly, the project has been designed with accessibility in mind. Free transport ensures that rural isolation is not a barrier, while the holistic nature of the programme addresses wider determinants of health, from social connection to financial constraints.
With £77,500 in social value generated and participants supported back into employment, the benefits extend far beyond individual wellbeing.
Rhubarb Farm highlights the importance of strong referral pathways (not passive) and genuine collaboration. It also reinforces a simple but powerful truth: recovery is not one-size-fits-all, and sometimes, the most effective interventions are the ones that feel the most human.
A shared learning
Although each project is different, they share a common thread: a commitment to reducing inequalities through innovation, inclusion and community.
They remind us that:
Together, they offer a vision of cancer care that is not only more effective—but more compassionate, equitable and connected.
If you want to find out more about the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Cancer Innovation Award Scheme email info@yhahsn.com
Three projects secured funding through the third round of the Cancer Innovation Award Scheme which aims to promote improvement and innovation in cancer services.
After its continued success in 2023, Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber (formally the Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network) once again supported the South Yorkshire & Bassetlaw Cancer Alliance to deliver this innovative scheme. The awards are designed to support initiatives aligned with objectives set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, in particular; improved access to diagnostics, reducing health inequalities and personalised care and support.
The successful applicants for this round were:
Barnsley Hospital NHSFT
The innovation proposed by Barnsley Hospital NHSFT is to build on the readily available ‘Virtual Clinic’ ethos and grow this on a large scale to a ‘Virtual Clinic Room’. This would support specialist oncology services which are currently challenged due to several reasons. The Virtual Clinic Room would be a purpose-built environment to house state of the art equipment to run a full virtual consultation within Oncology, in a safe hospital environment with the wrap-around care of nursing members being within the room.
Weston Park Cancer Centre, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals
An extended proposal submitted by Weston Park Cancer Centre, builds on the Year two award for the further development of a novel web-based assessment tool for patients, to support routine care and management and to evaluate outcomes and late effects following pelvic radiotherapy: “the ePAQ-PRD (electronic Personal Assessment Questionnaire – Pelvic Radiotherapy Disease)”. This is an ambitious programme of work with significant scope for rollout nationally and now has the support of the national patient charity the Pelvic Radiation Disease Association.
Aurora Wellbeing Services
The project proposal supports cancer patient survival by further innovating, developing and delivering an emotional support service this is proven to boost self-management, coping skills and reduce depression, anxiety and pain. This will be achieved by delivering and evaluating a tiered emotional and wellbeing service, delivered in the community, free of charge, within a non-clinical environment, tailored to anyone affected by cancer.
If you would like to find out more about the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Cancer Innovation Award Scheme email info@yhahsn.com
Three projects have secured funding through the second round of the Cancer Innovation Award Scheme which aims to promote improvement and innovation in cancer services.
After its success in 2022, Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber (formally the Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network) once again supported the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Cancer Alliance to deliver this innovative scheme. The awards are designed to support initiatives aligned with the objectives set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, in particular around improved access to diagnostics, reducing health inequalities and personalised care and support.
Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
People with severe mental illness are more likely to not participate in healthcare screening programmes. Some studies suggest that in particular adults with severe mental health problems are more likely to die from cancer under the age of 75 than people without mental health illness. The funding will be used to run coproduction sessions working in collaboration with community organisations and people experiencing mental health problems using a range of assets including arts, lived experience and self-help methodologies. The project will explore the understanding and fear surrounding illness, medical care and screening. It will then develop culturally appropriate tools to increase the uptake of cancer screening at an earlier stage resulting in earlier diagnosis and treatment and reduced morbidity and mortality.
Weston Park Cancer Centre, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Weston Park Cancer Centre at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals is working with patients, their relatives and clinicians to develop a novel web-based assessment tool for patients to support routine care and management and to evaluate outcomes and late effects following pelvic radiotherapy: ePAQ-P-Rx (electronic Personal Assessment Questionnaire – Pelvic Radiotherapy).
Sheffield Children’s Hospital and NIHR Children and Young People MedTech Cooperative
Sheffield Children Hospital is working with NIHR Children and Young People MedTech Cooperative to develop supportive technologies to improve patient healthcare journey and experience. They have identified Xploro as a clinically validated health information platform that already supports young cancer patients through the use of 3D avatars, augmented reality models and games. Funding will help to develop a novel ‘proof of concept’ module for the platform that enables physiotherapists to prescribe personalised exercises to children and young people following a cancer diagnosis.
Funding awarded by the Cancer Alliance of over £100,000 has helped to progress four innovative projects to improve cancer outcomes for patients in the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw region and inspire colleagues to think differently.
The Cancer Innovation Award Scheme 21/22 was launched on the January 10 2022 by South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw (SYB) Cancer Alliance in conjunction with the Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber (formally the Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network (YHAHSN)).
There were 11 applicants bidding for grants of between £10-30k. Seven applications were shortlisted to present to a Dragon’s Den style panel of experts, with four awarded the funding, which totalled £109,574.
Breast Cancer Rapid Diagnosis AI – University of Sheffield
Development of a symptom checker-style app – Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Trust
Programme to increase the accessibility of exercise and physical activity support for children – Sheffield Children’s Hospital
Study examining face-to-face vs. remote exercise rehabilitation – Sheffield Hallam University
Applications were received from across the region and from a variety of partners including community organisers, cancer charities, and secondary and tertiary providers. The projects could be at any stage, from yet-to-be-piloted to already established. The Award Scheme was open to both single organisations and collaborative bids from organisations or care settings across Barnsley, Bassetlaw, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.
All applicants were asked to provide detail on how the funding was going to be used to support one or more of the following key activities:
The seven shortlisted applications went on to face a panel of experts, including an SYB GP, a patient representative, the Director of Innovation for SYB and a Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Surgeon. The unsuccessful applicants were provided feedback from the panel and an opportunity to strengthen their application should they wish to re-apply for the next round.
For more information or an update on any of the projects, please click on the relevant link above
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