People living in rural and coastal communities will find it easier to see a cancer specialist under plans to tackle a ‘postcode lottery’ of care.
The government will commit to creating more training places in hospitals with the biggest workforce shortages, which are typically outside major cities.
Health secretary Wes Streeting, who survived kidney cancer following treatment in London, said patients in under-served areas deserve ‘the same shot at survival and quality of life as everyone else’.
His National Cancer Plan, due to be published on February 4 – World Cancer Day – will aim to cut the number of Britons developing the disease, speed up diagnosis and enhance treatment.
Ministers will work with the royal medical colleges to entice more doctors to specialise in clinical and medical oncology to increase numbers and improve care.
Areas with fewer consultants and longer waits generally have higher rates of economic inactivity, with treatment delays keeping people out of work and holding back local economies.
The Plan is also expected to include measures aimed at rolling out the latest diagnostic tests and technologies to hospitals faster, so they are not confined to sites that have traditionally engaged in more medical research.
Mr Streeting said: ‘For too long, your chances of seeing a doctor and catching cancer early have depended on where you live. That’s not fair and has to stop.
A patient is checked for lung cancer in a mobile scanning truck under an initiative aimed at catching the disease earlier when it is easier to treat
‘I am determined to end the health inequalities that have grown across England over the last 15 years.
‘We’re training more doctors in the communities that need them most and making sure the latest cancer detection technology reaches every corner of the country.
‘Faster diagnosis doesn’t just save lives – it gets people back to work and back to their families sooner.
‘Whether you live in a coastal town or a rural village, you deserve the same shot at survival and quality of life as everyone else. This government will turn that promise into a reality.’
While more people survive cancer than ever before, progress has slowed over the last decade, and England remains behind other comparable countries.
From April 2027, new tests and devices that help spot cancer sooner will be assessed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice).
If watchdog approves the test or device for use on the NHS, trusts will be obliged to offer it, as is currently the case with new medicines.
The first tests and devices to be assessed by Nice under the new model include artificial intelligence that reads chest X-rays to help medics spot lung cancer, software that analyses tissue samples for prostate and breast cancer and new techniques to help women get answers about unexplained vaginal bleeding.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said all NHS patients should be able to receive a high standard of care regardless of where they live
Nice will also assess the ‘sponge on a string’ test for oesophageal cancer.
It involves patients swallowing a small capsule attached to a string, which dissolves in the stomach to leave a small sponge about the size of a 1p coin.
This is then pulled out after a few minutes, collecting cells from the oesophageal lining for analysis.
Professor Jonathan Benger, chief executive of Nice, said: ‘When Nice was founded 26 years ago, it set out to end the postcode lottery in access to medicines.
‘We’re now extending that same clarity and fairness to health tech.
‘These reforms mean that clinically and cost-effective medical devices, diagnostics and digital tools will start to be reimbursed and made available consistently across the NHS.
‘This will give patients faster access to proven technologies and ensure NHS resources are spent where they make the greatest difference.’
Last week, NHS England’s monthly performance figures showed 76.5 per cent of patients urgently referred for suspected cancer were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days in November. But this ranged from 54.5 per cent to 100 per cent, across trusts in England.
Coastal towns like Blackpool are most likely to benefit from the policy of creating more training places for cancer doctors in hospitals with the greatest shortages
There continues to be a large difference between the proportion of patients having the disease ruled out and those having it confirmed.
Some 78.0 per cent of those patients ruled out of having cancer were told within 28 days in November but just 55.1 per cent of patients had their cancer confirmed within 28 days.
The proportion of patients who had waited no longer than 62 days in November from an urgent suspected cancer referral, or consultant upgrade, to their first definitive treatment for cancer was 70.2 per cent, up from 68.8 per cent in October.
Steven McIntosh, chief partnerships officer at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: ‘Right now, cancer care isn’t fair.
‘Too many aren’t getting the treatment and care they need because of who they are and where they live, and rural and coastal communities often have the worst outcomes.
‘The National Cancer Plan for England is a huge opportunity to break down the barriers to everyone accessing world class cancer care.’
Prof Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England, said the National Cancer Plan will tackle differences in care ‘head-on’.
