Commenting on the publication of the National Cancer Plan, Mark Stephenson, CEO at Reframe Cancer, welcomed the ambition of the strategy but warned that delays to national implementation and gaps in prevention, screening and survivorship support risk leaving the UK behind its European peers unless action is accelerated and supported by wider collaboration across the health system.
Mark Stephenson, CEO at Reframe Cancer, discusses:
“It is good news that the National Cancer Plan has finally been delivered today, and there are some strong targets in there, with the NHS promising it will ensure three in four people diagnosed with cancer from 2035 onwards are cancer-free or living well after five years.
Our big concern is that it will take too long to implement at a national level to see the urgent results it needs to, and that some areas are still being overlooked. The UK will therefore continue to lag behind other European countries for several years when it comes to prevention and cancer survivorship. This is a point we have recognised and stated many times, so it is good that the NHS and government are now publicly acknowledging it.
Long term, we must hope it achieves the ambitious targets it has outlined. Specifically, that 320,000 more lives were saved over the lifetime of the plan. However, this is going to require all areas – NHS, private healthcare providers, employers, insurers and charities to work together to ensure everyone receives the best outcomes from earlier diagnosis through to treatment and support. The NHS will need external partners, and it is vital these partners are regulated, have the best clinically trained teams and the best in technology.
With growing awareness among employers, insurers, and the public of the shortcomings in critical areas like screening, navigation, and prehabilitation, we know that digitally enabled solutions can deliver both financial and human value by reducing absence, improving engagement, and increasing goodwill. We anticipate a significant acceleration of adoption by employers and insurers as the evidence base continues to strengthen. That in turn will help drive the NHS to adopt smarter solutions as well as reduce their workload and costs, which will help everyone.
Screening, prevention and education
The £2.3 billion investment in diagnostics, expansions in lung cancer screening and bowel cancer screening that have been announced in recent days are all good news. Many tests, such as prostate cancer and bowel cancer, can be done at home for minimal cost, so further expansion can also easily be achieved here with younger and more at-risk people being targeted.
However, if prevention is to become a reality, education needs to sit alongside screening so that inequalities are genuinely tackled and uptake of cancer screening increases. Offering extended screening is one thing, but ensuring people get to their cancer screening appointment has been a big challenge. People may not understand their own personal risk and how their family history, cultural background and lifestyle have an impact. Screening can also be less accessible to people when they are sent to hospital locations out of town with no public transport access, or those in deprived areas and people with disabilities. The plan must make sure it reaches these people and helps them at a national level.
Prehab and faster treatment access targets
Improving performance against key waiting time targets has represented a difficult challenge for the NHS. The 62-day urgent referral to treatment standard has been a struggle. So committing to meeting all three cancer waiting time standards by March 2029 is a bold move. It has the potential to mean hundreds of thousands more patients will receive timely treatment. However, fast, guaranteed waiting-time fixes will continue to be challenging and have a direct impact on patients. There is a commitment in the plan to recruit more cancer nurse specialists, but there are no specific deadlines around this. There aren’t currently enough of them, and they will be absolutely key in delivering the National Cancer Plan. High-quality person-centred care is essential for patients who are at the heart of this; they must feel the benefit of the planned improvements and promises. So, workforce issues will remain a big obstacle in delivering on these new targets. Prehab is also crucially important in preparing patients mentally and physically for treatment, which means they will have greater success responding to it. We look forward to seeing more details around this, as it is something that has previously been under commission by the NHS.
Wider use of genomics, AI, and innovation in cancer care
It is great that genomic testing will get more focus, enabling targeting personalised therapies which could transform treatment for many patients. It is reassuring, but again, we need to see more detail around timings and national rollout plans for this to be effective. Similarly, with the announcement that robot-assisted surgery will increase from 70,000 to half a million by 2035, helping free up hospital beds. We just hope these bold targets and national implementation plans can be met. Overall, harnessing genomics, integrating AI, prioritising prevention and tackling disparities is absolutely key to achieving better outcomes and results.
There is still a long way to go if the plan is to achieve its goal of 75% of cancer patients diagnosed from 2035 to be cancer-free or living well after five years. Survivorship and mental health support should also not be overlooked in the battle to meet targets and bring UK cancer care up to scratch with its European neighbours.
We are available to share our expertise and to help the NHS deliver on its targets and help everyone gain faster access to screening and cancer care.”
Reframe Cancer provide CQC regulated cancer navigation and support for employers and insurers
