Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce

We have committed to developing a 10-year plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future. We will carefully be considering all policies, including those that impact teenagers and young people with cancer.

We want to ensure the 10-Year Health Plan reflects the diversity of the people who use the NHS every day, and it is important that everyone can have their say as we develop it. The engagement process has been launched, and I would encourage those concerned about the care of teenagers and young people with cancer to engage with that process to allow us to fully understand what is not working as well as it should, and what the potential solutions are. Further information is available at the following link:

https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/

We are working with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Children’s Commissioner, the National Children’s Bureau, and other partners to ensure we hear from children who are unwell. We have asked local health systems to plan engagement with their local communities, front line staff, and partner organisations, taking care to ensure they reach those who are under-represented, including young people.

Young Lives vs Cancer and the Teenage Cancer trust attended our Partners Council event in January, and we are also running a deliberative event with children and young people in February.

Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a national cancer plan. We are committed to ensuring children and young people with cancer are carefully considered in the plan, and will share further details in due course.