Cancer Care Delivery Plan

Introducing: Cancer Care Delivery Plan 2023

Pressure is building on UK cancer care services. Recent Analysis from Cancer Research UK projects that if trends continue, cancer cases will rise by a third by 2040.(i)  Despite the roll-out of community diagnostic centres (CDCs) to reboot NHS diagnostics, the UK still has a significant backlog of patients waiting for testing and treatment.(ii) In January 2023, the number of patients waiting longer than three months for cancer diagnosis and treatment surpassed 12,000 for the first time. (iii) 

Despite the obvious need for NHS reform for cancer care, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Steve Barclay announced in January 2023 that the long awaited 10-Year Cancer Plan is to be scrapped.(iv) In its place, a Major Conditions Strategy is to be published, covering cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, dementia, mental health conditions, and musculoskeletal disorders.(v) Cancer is also to be included, however without a dedicated comprehensive strategy, cancer care in England is unlikely to be transformed in the way the NHS needs to improve health outcomes and alleviate service pressure. To meet rising demand and provide the necessary care for patients, a dedicated comprehensive cancer plan is required.  

In response to this challenge. PPP will work with its partners to develop a Cancer Care Delivery Plan. In the plan, PPP will build on the objectives of the NHS Long Term Plan, the Life Sciences Vision and the National Genomics Strategy to discuss the implementation of policies that support the prevention and survival of cancer across the UK.(vii) (viii) The NHS Long Term Plan set out ambitious targets to be met by 2028, that the NHS must strive to reach over the next five years.(ix) These targets aim for 55,000 more people each year to survive their cancer for five years or more and 75 per cent of people to be diagnosed at an early stage (stage one or two). 

Achieving these goals in a healthcare system that is struggling with workforce shortages and capacity challenges requires innovative solutions. From March to September of this year PPP will hold 6 roundtables, each session will uncover unique solutions to the cancer care crisis. The topics will correlate with the government’s 2022 cancer plan consultation.  

Topics to be covered include: 

• Prevention and screening 
• Inequalities  
• Personalised care and precision medicine 
• Technology and data
• Pathways and treatment 
• Workforce 

Each topic will be discussed through the lens of a specific cancer pathway. These roundtables will result in a final report, laying out an implementation strategy that serves to facilitate the delivery of cancer care. The goal of this programme is to create general and pathway specific recommendations to improve cancer treatment delivery. 

This programme will shift focus away from the halls of Westminster and towards what clinicians, NHS trusts, industry leaders, researchers and academics need to provide cancer care in real-time. By gathering industry experts from across the public and private sectors, academics, researchers, policy professionals and other key stakeholders, PPP will generate delivery specific insights over the course of this programme. 

The final report will be launched at a full-day conference in Westminster with keynote speeches, panel discussions, and networking opportunities with key health and care stakeholders.