Spotlight

Somerset’s self-referral for breast cancer diagnosis announced as NHS Excellence Awards winner

11th June 2026 (last updated 23rd June 2026)

On Wednesday 10 June 2026, the winners of the inaugural NHS Excellence Awards were announced – with our self-referral for breast cancer diagnosis pathway announced as the winner of the Digital Innovation Award.

The NHS Excellence Awards celebrate the people and teams driving improvement, innovation and collaboration across health and care in England, recognise initiatives that are delivering measurable improvements for patients, communities and staff, while creating learning that can be shared across the wider NHS.

The self-referral service for breast care diagnosis started in January 2025 and was the first in England to introduce this pathway, which is accessed via NHS 111 online. The national digital triage product is designed to help people reach the right level of care for their symptoms via NHS 111 Online or through the NHS App.

It allows eligible patients with worrying symptoms, such as a breast lump, to be referred straight to a breast diagnostic clinic, speeding up cancer diagnosis and freeing up valuable GP appointments.

Since its launch, 1,474 people have self-referred directly to the service, without the need for a GP appointment.

Of those, 78 have been diagnosed with cancer, demonstrating the strength of the clinically led digital triage in directing higher-risk patients into urgent specialist care, and reassuring those at lower risk.

Dr Trevor Smith, Regional Medical Director for NHS England in the South West, said: “This is a fantastic achievement, and I want to say a big congratulations to the teams in Somerset and NHS 111 Online for this well-deserved award.

“This service is already making a real difference for patients. It helps people with worrying symptoms get seen more quickly, which can reduce stress and lead to earlier diagnosis of cancer. At the same time, it frees up GP appointments for those who need them most.

“It’s a great example of how simple, well-designed digital tools can make care easier to access, quicker for patients, and better for the NHS. This work sets a strong example for other services to follow.”

The judges recognised the scheme for successfully delivering a simple yet high-impact digital innovation that improves access to breast cancer diagnostics.

Over 240 nominations were submitted from the South West region, with Somerset NHS Foundation Trust selected as regional champions for the self-referral breast cancer diagnosis in the Digital Innovation Award, and for the Pee-in-Pot initiative within the Sustainable Healthcare Award.

You can find a full list of the winners and the regional champions on the NHS England website and read the full NHS England South West announcement here.

To find out more about the self-referral breast cancer diagnosis pathway, you can read the following articles:

Or visit the self-referral page on the website here: Somerset cancer self-referral - Somerset NHS Foundation Trust