Cancer cases are increasing. Too many patients are facing unacceptable, often unequal, waits to receive a diagnosis, or start treatment. We’re calling on the UK Government to ensure the National Cancer Plan for England is bold enough to meet the scale of the challenge that faces us.
It's time for a turning point for cancer.
Sign the open letterWe’re calling on the UK Government to commit to bold action in the National Cancer Plan by implementing our key calls:
Meet all Cancer Waiting Time targets (62-day and 31-day standards and Faster Diagnosis Standard) by July 2029, and consistently improve performance across all of England.
Set out ambitions and timeframes for earlier, timelier, and fewer emergency diagnoses of cancer in the National Cancer Plan, through engaging stakeholders:
For stageable cancers, set commitments to accelerate the rate of improvement of increasing earlier diagnosis and reducing late-stage diagnosis.
For all cancers, set commitments to drive timelier diagnosis through non-emergency pathways.
Reduce unwarranted variation in access to best practice treatment – measured by narrowing the gaps in high quality treatment indicators across local NHS systems – through strategic audit and quality improvement of cancer treatment services.
Update ambitions for achieving a smokefree England (<5% prevalence) and set a new objective for reducing the prevalence of overweight and obesity, with resources targeted at where need is greatest.
Enable clinicians to efficiently set up and deliver clinical trials, leveraging the UK’s world leading health data assets for research and innovation, and speeding up adoption and spread of proven innovations by addressing structural barriers to uptake and sharing best practice to improve cancer outcomes and support economic growth.
Read our submissions to the UK Government on how upcoming plans can deliver for people affected by cancer:
National Cancer Plan for England: Call for Evidence response(PDF, 254 KB)
10 Year Health Plan for England: Consultation response(PDF, 178 KB)
A long-term strategy for cancer was one of our key calls during the election and in February the UK Government formally committed to the development of one; the National Cancer Plan for England.
Responding to Cancer Research UK research, Chief Executive Michelle Mitchell said: "It’s fantastic to see that thanks to research, cancer death rates have drastically reduced over the last 50 years… however, there’s more that can be done".
Hear from Cancer Research UK’s Ben Sammon on what the Government’s spending plans for the next 3 years might mean for cancer.
Read four stories of people affected by cancer that help show exactly what England needs from the UK Government's National Cancer Plan.
With any big, ambitious government health strategy, the devil is in the detail. We're diving into the details of what the 10 Year Health Plan means for cancer.
Our manifesto, written before the UK General Election, sets out the measures and commitments the new government can make to help prevent 20,000 cancer deaths every year by 2040.
If you have any questions or want to speak to someone in the Campaigns team before you apply, please email us or call us.
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