4 Feb 2026
National Cancer Plan for England Launched
On Wednesday 4th February 2026, marked as World Cancer Day, the Department of Health & Social Care published its National Cancer Plan for England. What makes this 10-year strategy for cancer special is that it contains a detailed commitment to improvements in diagnosis, treatment and care for those with rare and less common cancers, and for children’s and young people’s cancer, making it more relevant to AMEND’s patient communities than ever before. Nevertheless, the plan has still attracted some calls for it to go further.
Think Tank, the King’s Trust commented on the Plan:
‘At the heart of this is a bold ambition to double down on diagnosing cancers early and ensure the variation in access to the best treatment is tackled.
‘Ministers will need to be careful that they don’t put the cart before the horse and ensure that they get the basics delivered swiftly too… As is becoming a theme for this government’s health policy, it doesn’t appear to be as ambitious about preventing people from becoming sick in the first place.’
Rare and Less Common Cancer
The final chapter of the Report specifically addresses cancers like ours, and contains 13 separate commitment action points. These cover diagnosing rare and uncommon cancers earlier, as well as better treatments, support and research. This will be driven by a new national lead for rare cancers who is due to be recruited by the end of 2026.
Children and Young People’s Cancer
This chapter also promises to establish national inherited cancer predisposition services for children and young adults (CYP), to improve in-hospital services and food, and, has been reported widely in the media, to set up a £10m fund to help with costs of travel (with caveats) by the end of 2027.
There is plenty to applaud within the Plan; however, delivering such an ambitious ‘wish-list’ is where the challenge lies. We will be following any progress with interest.
For More Information…
Cancer Research UK has produced an excellent summary of the Plan: A turning point for cancer? Breaking down the National Cancer Plan for England
.