Ambitious 10-Year Cancer Strategy Unveiled to Transform NHS Outcomes
The Government has launched a comprehensive 10-year national cancer plan, pledging to dramatically improve survival rates and transform diagnosis and treatment across the NHS in England. Ministers have promised that far more people will survive cancer over the coming decade, with the strategy aiming to save an estimated 320,000 lives during its lifetime.
Bold Survival Targets and Waiting Time Commitments
The newly published plan sets an ambitious target for 75% of patients diagnosed from 2035 to be cancer-free or living well five years after diagnosis. This represents a significant increase from the current figure of around 60% and would mark the fastest improvement in cancer outcomes this century. The Department of Health has described this as a transformative commitment that could fundamentally change cancer care in England.
Ministers have also pledged that the NHS will meet all existing cancer waiting time targets by 2029. Currently, the national target requires 85% of patients to begin treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral for suspected cancer, but only 70.2% of patients met this standard in November. The Government has established an interim target of 75% by March 2026, which will remain in place while hospitals work to improve performance.
Major Investment in Diagnostic Technology and Treatment
The strategy includes substantial investment totalling £2.3 billion to deliver 9.5 million additional tests by 2029. This funding will support the expansion of Community Diagnostic Centres, which will operate extended hours where possible, including 12-hour days, seven days a week. The investment will also fund more scanners, digital systems, and automated testing to accelerate diagnosis.
A major expansion of robot-assisted surgery is planned, with procedures set to increase from 70,000 to 500,000 annually by 2035. This technological advancement aims to reduce complications and free up valuable hospital beds. Additionally, every eligible patient will be offered genomic testing to analyse their cancer's DNA, helping to identify the most effective personalised treatment.
Specialist Care and Patient-Centred Approach
Patients with rarer cancers will increasingly have their care reviewed and delivered at specialist cancer centres, bringing together multidisciplinary teams of surgeons, oncologists, nurses, and radiologists. This approach aims to ensure that all patients receive the most appropriate and expert care for their specific condition.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, speaking ahead of the plan's publication, emphasised his personal commitment as a cancer survivor: "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."
Support from Health Leaders and Charities
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, welcomed the plan: "Almost everyone will know someone who has been affected by cancer - a friend, a partner, a parent or a child - and for many people it will be part of their own story too. This plan sets a clear roadmap for the NHS to diagnose more cancers earlier, ensure more patients are treated on time and improve survival."
Gemma Peters, chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, described the survival ambitions as encouraging, while Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, noted the promising commitment to saving more lives from cancer. Both highlighted the importance of addressing current challenges in cancer care.
Criticism and Implementation Challenges
The plan has faced criticism from opposition parties and health analysts who question its funding and achievability. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described it as an "unfunded plan" that won't be enough to restore overwhelmed cancer services.
Sarah Scobie, deputy director of research at the Nuffield Trust, warned that meeting the targets would be incredibly difficult based on current performance. She noted that between April and November last year, there was only a 0.1% improvement in the proportion of patients waiting under 62 days to start cancer treatment, while the plan requires improvements of almost 0.4% every month to meet the 2029 target.
The plan does not include proposals for population-wide prostate cancer screening, following the UK National Screening Committee's rejection of such testing last year. However, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has indicated he is continuing to gather and assess evidence on this issue.
