Cancer: Health Services

The Department has announced that the National Cancer Plan, published in February 2026, is backed by significant funding committed by the Government at the Spending Review.

Investment which will support the delivery of the National Cancer Plan includes £200 million in 2026/27 for cancer alliances to improve performance and early diagnosis as part of service development funding (SDF) with similar spending for each year across the rest of the Spending Review. £70 million has been provided to roll out new radiotherapy machines, and up to £10 million a year will be available so that children and young people with cancer don't face financial barriers travelling to treatment. £2.3 billion has been provided for diagnostics to deliver 9.5 million additional tests by 2029 and more than £650 million has been allocated to complete the roll out of lung cancer screening by 2030.

A reformed National Cancer Board chaired jointly by the Department and an independent representative of the wider cancer community will track progress and provide regular updates to ministers. Ministers will publish an annual summary of progress, along with a more in-depth report after three years to assess where the plan needs updating and refreshing. The annual summary will be available publicly.