Publish date: 5 February 2026
Welcoming the publication of The National Cancer Plan for England, on World Cancer Day, Jason Pawluk, Managing Director of West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance, said:
"This plan represents an important statement of intent from Government around its commitment to transforming cancer outcomes in England. West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance welcome the improvements that patients should expect to see from the commitments made by Government. We will continue to be proud to show where organisations delivering cancer care and support West Yorkshire and Harrogate currently lead the way, whilst recognising that there is also much more important work to do to close the gap on cancer outcomes. We will continue our contribution to making the vision set out in this plan a reality for the people affected by cancer we are here to serve.
"This National Cancer Plan identifies the needs for action right across the cancer pathway including more coordinated action from all partners on prevention; achieving earlier diagnosis; delivering better and more equitable access to treatment and supportive care; and providing care based on each person being treated for cancer around their individual needs.
"New commitments relating to an inclusive plan for the needs of both adults and children and young people affected by cancer, the need to sharpen efforts on the outcome gaps experienced by people affected by rarer cancers, and the recognition of governmental action needed to reduce excess and avoidable cancer incidence are all particularly welcome.
"Alongside the important case for reform set out, as the plan recognises, to achieve what is set out will now mean taking the whole of the cancer workforce with us in a positive minded way, recognising their hard work, and always keeping the focus on quality. The vital, ongoing, investments in people, equipment, and technologies will be needed right up until 2035. In recognising what is required we will also need to be guided by the experiences of the international peers we aspire to match and better. This whole-system approach to delivery will ultimately mean that people affected by cancer can see what the vision set out in the National Cancer Plan will really mean to their experience of care, their treatment, and their family.
"To find out more about what the National Cancer Plan means for the work of the Cancer Alliance, and where we're already making progress against key commitments, click on the buttons below."
The National Cancer Plan gives us chance to pause and reflect on what has been achieved in recent years, whilst also being clear that we can and must do better.
The average patient experience score in West Yorkshire and Harrogate was 9 out of 10, with 87% of cancer patients reporting that they found it very or quite easy to contact their main contact person during treatment.
This is positive progress, but to transform patient experience further, we must now make sure that the funding to make the newest treatments and technologies available sooner, and access to key cancer tests quicker, follows across the whole timeline of the plan.
Find out more about our Living with and Beyond Programme here
The National Cancer Plan is a reminder that patients rightly expect their cancer care to be delivered in accordance with key NHS waiting times targets. This matters because waiting for cancer tests and treatment is a real worry for both the patient and their family.
More work is needed, but we are pleased to say that progress against West Yorkshire and Harrogate is better than the regional and national average. We have the lowest level of very long waits in the country.
In November 2025, almost eight out of ten patients got either an all clear or a cancer diagnosis within a month.
For those who sadly were diagnosed with cancer, treatments were given in a total of two months from referral more than three quarters of the time.
The other important measure set out in the NHS Constitution for planning and delivering cancer treatment was met.
Local hospitals are now focussing on improving services for people with rarer cancers and those which are more difficult to diagnose and treat, working together with the Cancer Alliance.
The aim is to make sure that every hospital delivers the waiting times that patients need to see.
The National Cancer Plan provides some well-needed funding to help make cancer services better in local areas. Your local Cancer Alliance helps to use the money made available wisely, making sure that people affected by cancer benefit from it.
We use around half of this money to provide quicker access to tests and treatments.
The other half is used both to make people more aware of cancer signs and symptoms and also provide better support to the growing numbers of people who are living longer and healthier lives following their treatment.
We focus our funding in areas of health inequality and greatest need. This means that we provide tailored help to the people faced unacceptable barriers to accessing care in the past.
In this way, and by working together with local communities through fantastic innovations such as lung cancer screening, we have made important progress in closing the gap between the best and worst parts of West Yorkshire and Harrogate when it comes to early diagnosis and survival.
Today, six out of ten people are diagnosed at an early stage, which makes cancer much more treatable. Overall, more than half live for ten years or more following their diagnosis, but we must now close the gap on rarer cancers.
The National Cancer Plan reminds us of the need to seize the opportunity of digitally led transformation in local cancer care.
Your local Cancer Alliance, working with digital experts Appt Health, has developed options for patients to book their screening appointments by “one click” text message, giving them the choice of when they are available to come in.
We have also improved support available for patients who are experiencing the side effects of cancer treatment. We’ve done this by piloting online ways of reporting symptoms and getting support, working with health-tech company Careology. This has helped in reducing unnecessary hospital visits as part of wider improvements to non-surgical oncology services locally.
We have also completed a wide-ranging review of the potential to use multi-cancer blood tests to assess the likely risk of cancer amongst people presenting with symptoms, working with PinPoint Data Science.
But at the same time, we understand that not everyone is as up to speed with digital technology yet. That’s why we make sure that when we trial these new ways of working, we always make sure that there a non-digital alternative and help available from a real person when you need it.
We wholeheartedly agree with the National Cancer Plan’s commitment to do more to work together with patients to improve services based on what matters to them.
Our award-winning Cancer SMART programme uses trained volunteers to spread the message around cancer signs and symptoms, getting in to communities where the “formal” NHS doesn’t.
Our patient-led panel (Patient VIEW) is delivered by the charity, Yorkshire Cancer Community. They do fantastic work to shape our priorities and make sure that the voice of the patient is at the heart of what we do.
Follow their great work and find out about opportunities to get involved here
On World Cancer Day, we whole-heartedly agree with the National Cancer Plan’s commitment to do more to work together with patients to improve services based on what matters to them.
Our award-winning Cancer SMART programme uses trained volunteers to spread the message around cancer signs and symptoms, getting in to communities where the “formal” NHS doesn’t.
Our patient-led panel (Patient VIEW) is delivered by Yorkshire Cancer Community. They do fantastic work to shape our priorities and make sure that the voice of the patient is at the heart of what we do.
Follow their great work and find out about opportunities to get involved here ***
