Health Secretary seeks views ‘from far and wide’ to shape 10-year ‘war on cancer’ plan

Sajid Javid will announce a call for evidence on a new 10-year Government plan to improve England’s cancer care after 50,000 fewer diagnoses were made nationally during the pandemic.

The Health Secretary (pictured) is set to repeat promises to wage a “national war on cancer” in a speech introducing the proposals at the Francis Crick Institute on Friday.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the plan would aim to boost the cancer workforce and increase research into technologies which help to detect the disease in its early stages.

It will also seek to tackle inequalities in healthcare across the country, including diagnosis times, and to improve prevention by addressing well-known risk factors such as smoking.

The call for evidence will be used to inform a final strategy expected later this year, which ministers hope will make England’s cancer care system “the best in Europe”.

Launching on Friday and running for eight weeks, it is open to the public and seeks input from cancer patients, their relatives and NHS workers.

Mr Javid is set to call for a “searching new vision” on how to “lead the world on cancer care” as he unveils the plans on Friday.

“This plan will show how we are learning the lessons from the pandemic, and apply them to improving cancer services over the next decade,” he is expected to say.

“It will take a far-reaching look at how we want cancer care to be in 2032 – 10 years from now. Looking at all stages, from prevention, to diagnosis, to treatment and vaccines.

“We want to hear views from far and wide to help us shape this work. Please join us in this effort, so fewer people face the heartache of losing a loved one to this wretched disease.”

It comes after there were 50,000 fewer cancer diagnoses across the UK since the start of the pandemic, risking an increase in advanced cases which are harder to treat.

The Health Secretary first announced he wanted to launch a “war on cancer” in January, when he told MPs the Covid-19 pandemic had exposed “huge health disparities in this country”.

“It’s time we launched a war on cancer and I’m working on a new vision to radically improve the outcome of cancer patients across the United Kingdom, and I’ll have more to say on this in due course,” he said.

Minister for primary care Maria Caulfield said: “Half of us will have cancer at some point in our lives, and many more will have to support someone close to them who has it.

“We want to have the best cancer care in Europe and this call to evidence will help us develop a plan to achieve this. We want to hear from you – cancer patients, relatives and NHS staff – to see how we can best move forward to deliver better care and treatment.”

Cally Palmer, national cancer director for the NHS, said: “Despite the pandemic and thanks to the huge efforts of our staff, cancer services have remained a priority with well over two million checks in the last year alone and tens of thousands of people starting lifesaving treatment every month.

“From one-stop shops for vital checks and revolutionary treatment options like proton beam therapy, we will continue to go further and faster in our mission to save more lives and ensure England is world leading in cancer care.”

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