In October 2024, I called on the Government to publish a National Cancer Plan; a plan that would improve the lives and outcomes of cancer patients and their families across the nation.
On Wednesday 4 February, World Cancer Day, I am proud to say that this National Cancer Plan will be announced. I have campaigned in Parliament to make this plan a reality, advocating on behalf of cancer patients and charities throughout my time as an MP.
Cancer will affect half of my constituents in one way or another; it has affected me and my family. In 2008, when my daughters were in secondary school, I found myself being diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK, a rare thing for a man.
When I first visited my GP with concerns about having a lump in my chest, I was dismissed and told that men couldn’t get breast cancer. This delayed my eventual diagnosis by months, allowing my cancer to spread to my lymph glands.
The hardest thing I have had to do in my life was to tell my daughters about my diagnosis and to wonder if my family of four would become a family of three.
However, because of the incredible treatment I received from hardworking NHS staff, I made a full recovery.
But for patients with less survivable cancers, those with delayed diagnoses, and children with cancer, outcomes are likely to be much worse.
This is one of the reasons why I first called for the National Cancer Plan and fought for patients with all forms of cancer to receive the treatment they deserve.
I’ve met many cancer charities and organisations to hear of their concerns and discuss what the Government must include in the plan to ensure equal and prompt treatment nationwide.
Early diagnosis is essential for improving survival outcomes for cancer patients. It is clear from my own experience and that of thousands of other patients that one of the biggest barriers to quicker diagnosis is GP and clinical professionals’ awareness and availability.
To fix this, I called on the plan to improve early cancer diagnosis by improving GP training and symptom awareness, advancing screening and research, and prioritising rare cancers.
The fact that the NHS structure is unfit for purpose is not due to the negligence of staff, who are incredibly hardworking and dedicated to caring for patients.
Our NHS has enormous potential with such a large workforce, backed by a large research and development sector focused on supporting staff and patients. But the previous Conservative Government neglected cancer services year after year.
That’s why I am demanding that Labour now urgently expand and train the NHS cancer workforce, end recruitment freezes, standardise care, and support innovation and partnerships to improve outcomes.
The UK’s innovation and research must also be strengthened by investing in clinical trials, data collection, regulatory and funding capacity to accelerate innovation and translate research into real-life benefits for patients.
One factor that also needs to be addressed in the National Cancer Plan is the effect of inequality within cancer awareness, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes.
47% of all cancers diagnosed are rare and less common and yet are responsible for 55% of all deaths.
The inequalities in outcomes for cancer patients also include socio-economic inequalities, as cancer death rates are almost 60% higher in the most deprived areas of the UK.
Equality must be at the heart of the National Cancer Plan; improving awareness, screening, research, and treatment to reduce inequalities will ensure that avoidable late diagnoses and deaths are reduced. There is also a need to address the postcode lottery in cancer care, improving access to healthcare for more deprived, rural and coastal communities.
Finally, the Government must create a dedicated Children and Young People’s Cancer strategy that delivers earlier diagnosis, better access to trials and treatments, tailored mental and psychosocial support, and sustained research investment to improve outcomes for young patients who face unique challenges in their care.
It will be clear if the Government has listened to me and thousands of other cancer patients nationwide by what has been prioritised in the National Cancer Plan. Ministers must ensure that more money is pledged and targeted in the plan if cancer care is to be reformed, otherwise the Government will fail patients nationwide. As I called for in January, MPs must also be allowed to scrutinise the plan in Parliament to ensure the Government delivers on its promises. Reform must come now – lives depend on it.
Clive Jones is Liberal Democrat MP for Wokingham
