Local and national plans

By 2028, the NHS Long Term Plan commits to dramatically improving cancer survival, partly by increasing the proportion of cancers diagnosed early, from half to three quarters.² Achieving this will mean that, from 2028, 55,000 more people each year will survive their cancer for at least five years after diagnosis.^1,2 The NHS Cancer Programme leads the delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan’s ambitions for cancer.

At a local level, Cancer Alliances are responsible for leading the planning and delivery of cancer services and for spearheading work across their constituent integrated care system(s) (ICS). Cancer Alliances bring together partners across complex cancer pathways to deliver the best care and outcomes for patients, including work to diagnose cancer early and improve survival, through the delivery of Long Term Plan projects like Targeted Lung Health Checks and implementing the Faster Diagnosis Standard, also through reducing treatment variation.^2,8

Nationally, the Primary Care Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service (DES) includes several requirements for general practice aimed at improving early cancer diagnosis (section 8.5).

A review of progress in integrating primary care (including general practice, community pharmacy, dentistry and optometry) highlighted the potential for community pharmacy to play a more active role in signposting eligible people to screening and supporting early diagnosis.^2,9 In June 2022, NHS England announced plans for a pilot of a new community pharmacy service to include identification of possible cancer symptoms and direct referral of people for further investigation without the need to see their GP.

Now go to part two

References:

1. NHS Long Term Plan
2. Cancer Research UK
3. Influences of cancer symptom knowledge, beliefs and barriers on cancer symptom presentation in relation to socioeconomic deprivation: a systematic review
4. Assessment of cancers’ diagnostic stage in a Deaf community - survey about 4363 Deaf patients recorded in French units
5. Prostate Cancer Campaign 
6. Cancer Research UK
7. Future NHS
8. Cancer Research UK
9. Cancer Research UK