The government has acknowledged that cancer mortality rates in the UK are much higher than in other, comparable countries and has published a comprehensive National Cancer Plan to help drive improvement.
The plan has been developed through extensive engagement with patients, partners and professionals. The Department of Health received over 11,000 responses to a call for evidence, including almost 7,000 from former or current cancer patients and 2,000 carers of people with cancer.
Their message was clear: cancer care must improve and – to achieve that – nothing short of radical change will do. Patients said they wanted to see government deliver on three burning priorities:
- First, improvement on core performance standards – which, when met, translate to fast diagnosis, quick treatment, quality care and excellent patient experience.
- Second, improved survival – to reduce the life lost and the bereavement caused by cancer.
- Third, for better support to maximise quality of life after a cancer diagnosis, including after treatment ends.
The Plan promises that every patient will get a Personalised Cancer Plan that “looks beyond just treatment and diagnosis to cover the full impact of cancer on their life” - from anxiety and fatigue to diet and returning to work.
The Plan also pledges to ensure patients will receive an end-of-treatment summary to “end the cliff edge” many face when chemotherapy or surgery finishes - giving them clear guidance on warning signs, who to call with concerns, and where to find ongoing support like physiotherapy, counselling or local cancer groups.
Even after successful treatment, some patients find themselves unable to return to the lives they had before diagnosis. The psychological toll of cancer can be devastating and long-lasting - with anxiety, depression and trauma persisting long after physical recovery. The Personalised Cancer Plan aims to ensure patients receive the mental health support they need to rebuild their lives.
Rolling out this year, the new approach recognises that cancer can affect every part of a patient’s life and that care doesn’t stop when treatment ends.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting said: “If you’ve ever sat in a waiting room dreading what comes next or laid awake at 3am wondering how you’ll pay the bills while you’re off work for treatment, you’ll know that cancer doesn’t just attack your body - it takes over your whole life. I was fortunate. I had a supportive employer, a family who could rally around me, and the financial security to focus on getting better. But I know that’s not everyone’s reality - and it shouldn’t be based on luck.
“For too long, we’ve treated the tumour and left patients to figure out the rest on their own. That ends now. This plan means nobody gets handed a diagnosis and is then abandoned to navigate the system alone.”
Among the key pledges include the following:
- The NHS will meet the Cancer Waiting Time standards by the end of this Parliament through the 10-Year Health Plan’s three shifts. More specifically, the government will expand the community diagnostic estate, while boosting productivity, use digital pathways and technology to end outpatients as we know it, and use innovation to speed up treatment decisions.
- 9.5 million additional tests will be delivered by 2029 through £2.3 billion investment in diagnostics and by ensuring as many CDCs as possible are fully operational and open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Improvement in the most challenged Trusts will be prioritised through intensive support and by giving them the data and digital tools to improve.
- The 10-Year Health Plan’s Five ‘big bets’ on innovation – data, AI, genomics, robotics and wearables – will be used transform the care pathway, while freeing up staff capacity and ‘time to care’.
- Innovative technology will be harnessed to triage patients to make better use of diagnostic capacity, allowing patients to access testing in their own homes, and prioritising care for the people at highest risk of cancer.
- The UK will become a global leader on cancer survival by 2035.
- By 2028, the NHS App will be the front door for cancer care, allowing patients to manage screening invitations, appointments, and treatment plans.
View the Plan in full here.
