Somerset Cancer Register to move to cloud-based platform

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s software platform, the Somerset Cancer Register (SCR), migrating to a cloud-based platform.

There are 100 trusts which rely on the SCR to be able to track, monitor and manage patient cancer pathways, making it the backbone for cancer teams across England.

Since July 2023, the trust has been working with Microsoft and specialist digital services consultancy Ascent to design the infrastructure and optimise the SCR application in the cloud, with go live planned for 6 October 2025.

Ruth McCarthy, operations manager of the SCR, said: “This launch represents a significant step forward in our commitment to modernising cancer data workflows.

“By leveraging cloud technology, we’re ensuring that SCR remains a reliable, future-proof platform that meets the evolving needs of cancer services.”

She added that the migration to cloud reflects SCR’s commitment to investment, innovation and its role in supporting its customers to provide a more agile service.

Supporting on-premise instances for more than 100 trusts across England was problematic for the SCR, as trying to get onto trust servers with all the security controls meant a slower response time from the Somerset trust team to fix or investigate issues.

Following the move to cloud, all users, administrative and clinical, are expected to experience a more reliable and faster platform, which will help them to manage the increasing number of referrals, larger multidisciplinary team caseloads and tracking complexities for patients.

The first phase of this move will see SCR’s on-premise environment moving across to the cloud, as a step towards modernising all products and services.

It will initially replicate how the on-premise system is used, with redesign of the application commencing once the other trusts which rely on the SCR have moved across to cloud.

A spokesperson for Ascent said: “At Ascent, we specialise in helping organisations modernise through cloud and data innovation, and it’s inspiring to see NHS Somerset reach this milestone.

“Together we’ve built a solution that improves scalability, security, compliance and accessibility, with a focus on cost efficiency and reliability, and to ultimately deliver even better care for patients, with a plan to migrate over 100 trusts to the new platform over time.”

The trust says that the single sign on integration as part of the move to the cloud, will simplify access to patients’ electronic cancer records, providing vital cancer information at any stage of the patient journey.

Meanwhile, in May 2025, Somerset launched a feature which enables residents to record their care preferences within the region’s shared care record, the Somerset Integrated Digital e-Record.