NHS rolls out capsule cameras to test for cancer
The imaging technology, in a capsule no bigger than a pill, can provide a diagnosis within hours.
Known as a colon capsule endoscopy, the cameras are the latest NHS innovation to help patients access cancer checks at home.
Traditional endoscopies mean patients need to attend hospital and have a tube inserted whereas the new technology means that people can go about their normal day.
An initial group of 11,000 NHS patients in England will receive the capsule cameras in more than 40 parts of the country.
The NHS has prioritised cancer care during the coronavirus pandemic and the latest figures show that hospitals carried out more than two cancer treatments for every patient they treated for COVID-19.
In December alone, more than 25,000 patients were treated for cancer and more than 200,000 people came forward for checks – 13,000 more than the same month the previous year.
