Patients will receive faster diagnosis, quicker treatment and the support to live well with cancer under the government’s landmark National Cancer Plan, unveiled on Wednesday.
The NHS has not met its central cancer performance target – that 85% of patients start treatment within 62 days of referral – since 2014. Survival rates are below Romania and Poland for some cancer types.
Under this plan, that will change – by March 2029, the NHS will meet all 3 cancer waiting time standards, meaning hundreds of thousands more patients will receive timely treatment. This demonstrates the real change being delivered by the government’s record investment as we rebuild the NHS.
The Government has also vowed to put patient care at the centre of its plan through its Personalised Cancer Plans.
• Every cancer patient to receive a tailored support plan covering treatment, mental health, and employment support under the National Cancer Plan
• Patients to be linked to cancer charity help through the NHS App as soon as they’re diagnosed
• Every patient given a named local care lead to provide support after treatment
Even after successful treatment, some patients find themselves unable to return to the lives they had before diagnosis, and so the Personalised Cancer Plan will ensure patients receive the mental health support they need to rebuild their lives.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting said:
“Cancer survival shouldn’t come down to who won the lottery of life. But cancer is more likely to be a death sentence in Britain than other countries around the world.
“As a cancer survivor who owes my life to the NHS, I owe it to future patients to make sure they receive the same outstanding care I did.
“Thanks to the revolution in medical science and technology, we have the opportunity to transform the life chances of cancer patients. Our cancer plan will invest in and modernise the NHS, so that opportunity can be seized and our ambitions realised.
“This plan will slash waits, invest in cutting-edge technology and give every patient the best possible chance of beating cancer.”
MP for Southport and the Northern Parishes, Patrick Hurley said:
“I am greatly encouraged by the release of the National Cancer Plan, and applaud the announcement of tailored support plans, which will help address the long-lasting and varied tolls that cancer can take, during and after treatment.
“For too long Britan’s cancer mortality rate has trailed behind other countries. The Plan’s ambition for three in four people diagnosed from 2035 to survive at least five years offers hope to thousands of families and marks a renewed determination to improve outcomes nationally.
“As someone who has personally lost family to Oesophageal Cancer, I am greatly reassured by the depth of focus the Plan gives to rare and less survivable cancers.
“With a dedicated chapter, committing research expansion, funding and the recruitment of national leads, these steps reflect a serious and long overdue effort to tackle the higher mortality cancers that have historically lacked attention, data, and treatment options. This Plan finally lays the groundwork for meaningful progress”