Delivering a National Cancer Control Plan for the UK. Lessons from abroad, discipline at home.

Lessons from abroad, discipline at home.
A St George’s House Consultation.

The UK stands at a cancer policy inflection point. Performance against “timeliness” standards has significantly deteriorated, unwarranted variation is entrenched, and public confidence is fragile. Fiscal pressure is real, but so is the opportunity: countries with similar constraints have all shown that disciplined governance, transparent measurement, and cross-party commitment can move the dial. The UK has been waiting for a new dedicated National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) for years, but we categorically do not need just an aspirational committee-driven document; we need a robust plan with teeth, that can be delivered, and which improves our poor cancer survival rates in the UK.
Cancer knows no borders. Given the backdrop of a NCCP finally being developed for the UK, but with the concerns highlighted and the absolute need to “get it right”, a panel of global and national experts was convened in a St George’s House Consultation, to capture both international best practice and lessons learned, so that we can develop a data informed, people centred NCCP that values evidence over opinion and truly delivers for the people we serve, our citizens. This Report captures the discussions and decisions of this Consultation, framed within a 10-point plan that we present as a roadmap for enhancing cancer care and improving cancer outcomes in the UK