A new ‘rapid' immunotherapy cancer jab is being rolled out to help patients spend less time in hospital and improve NHS productivity.

The injectable form of pembrolizumab (Keytruda), which can be used to treat 14 different cancer types - including lung, breast, head and neck, and cervical - can slash treatment times by up to 90%.

Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘As a cancer survivor, I know how important quick treatment is, and this roll out will offer quicker, more convenient care, saving patients time and helping them in their recovery with less time in hospital.'

Around 14,000 patients start pembrolizumab therapy each year in England and most are now expected to benefit from the more convenient treatment.

The new under-the-skin injection replaces an intravenous infusion, which can take up to two hours in total per session, sparing patients unnecessary time in treatment units and freeing up capacity for clinicians to see and treat more people.

The treatment will be given every three weeks as a one-minute injection or every six weeks as a two-minute injection, depending on an individual's cancer type.

Eighty nine-year-old Shirley Xerxes, from St Albans in Hertfordshire, was one of the first patients in the UK to receive the new jab at the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, managed by East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust.