Published 5th February 2026.

We welcome the publication of the National Cancer Plan and its recognition that improving cancer outcomes depends not only on clinical innovation, but on meaningful partnership with patients and communities. A stronger emphasis on co-production is an important step towards care that reflects people’s real experiences, priorities and needs.

A positive example of this is the introduction of co-produced end of treatment summaries, to address the “cliff edge” many patients describe when treatment ends and ensure each patient has the right next steps for them. The role of local cancer alliances will also be crucial in ensuring that patient insight shapes services on the ground, reflecting people’s lived experiences, priorities and needs. Patients should be recognised not only as recipients of care, but as partners with essential knowledge.

It is encouraging to see commitments that align closely with what patients and carers have told us is important to them. Our Patient experiences of diagnostics report showed overwhelming support for expanded diagnostic services, with 93% of patients favouring increased access. The plan’s focus on improving access to diagnostics closer to home, while also recognising that productivity, convenience and co-ordination matter just as much as physical availability, is an encouraging approach.

We also welcome the plan’s acknowledgement that cancer risk, access to care, and outcomes are shaped by inequality. Our Improving health equity for patients with blood disorders and/or cancers report highlighted significant barriers faced by people in more deprived areas and racially minoritised communities, both in cancer risk and in their experiences of diagnosis and treatment. Addressing these disparities will require sustained action and direct collaboration with the communities most affected, so that prevention, diagnosis, and support are tailored rather than one-size-fits-all.

Patients will be looking for this plan to deliver not just on targets but on tangible outcomes; meaningful two-way communication, joined-up care, and support that continues long after treatment ends. Delivering on this plan will require partnership with national and local charities, including those with deep connections to underserved communities and cancer-specific expertise, to ensure it reaches patients who are too often left behind.

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