New National Cancer Plan commits to saving 320,000 lives over next decade
Patients will benefit from faster diagnosis, earlier treatment and more personalised care under the new National Cancer Plan for England.
The plan sets out how services will continue to transform over the coming years focussing on improving outcomes through:
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earlier detection
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modern diagnostics
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cutting‑edge treatments
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more joined‑up support for people living with and beyond cancer.
Dr Christopher Tibbs, Medical Director for the NHS in the South East , said: “This plan gives us a clear roadmap to go further and faster - and across the South East , we're already showing what's possible.
“From pioneering robotic surgery to new digital services that let patients book tests directly, our teams are delivering innovation that saves lives .
“We know there is more to do, but with this plan we will take the best of the NHS to the rest of the NHS in the region - ensuring every patient, wherever they live in the region, gets early diagnosis, excellent treatment and the support they need to live well.”
Across the south east region, NHS teams are already delivering some of the most advanced cancer innovations in the country.
embracing robotics
In Kent and Medway, Maidstone Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is embracing robotics with expanded robotic gynaecology oncology surgery, completing 123 procedures since October 2024 and reaching full theatre utilisation faster than any other UK or Irish hospital in the past five years.
The trust is also one of just three sites in the country participating rolling out the NHS 111 straight to test initiative which enables women with "red flag" breast cancer symptoms to directly book appointments for a suitable clinic through NHS 111 online or the NHS App, bypassing the need to first see a GP.
Marking World Cancer Day, the day the new National Cancer Plan was launched, East Kent University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, shared news of the first patient to have surgery using new multi-million-pound robot at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) hospital in Margate, after being diagnosed with bowel cancer following screening.
The Hugo robot was first used by the NHS at Guys and St Thomas's Hospital in 2023. Although East Kent Hospitals teams have used da Vinci robots at Kent and Canterbury Hospital for 15 years, this is the first time colorectal robotic surgery has been possible at the Trust.
Community Diagnostic Centres
31 Community Diagnostic Centres across the south east region have also been speeding up tests and diagnostics - meaning people getting a diagnosis and starting treatment quicker.
The West Kent Community Diagnostic Centre has delivered more than 300,000 tests since opening in 2023 and is helping relieve pressure on hospitals by moving routine tests into the community and enabling earlier diagnosis.
Informed by lived experience, the plan has focusses on better quality of life and reducing inequalities.
Cancer Alliances
Cancer Alliances will be central to the delivery of the plan, building on the work we at Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance are doing in improving cancer outcomes locally.
From launching the lung cancer screening programme on the south Kent coast and Canterbury, creating and delivering campaigns such as BeSkinSmart and Let's Talk About Ovarian Cancer to working with patients to create videos on cancer-related fatigue and living in 'limbo land '.
Andrea Lewis, Regional Chief Nurse for the NHS in the South East , added: “This plan gives our teams across the South East the momentum to keep improving care for people affected by cancer.
“Every day I see teams embracing new ways of working — from robotic surgery and AI‑supported diagnostics to services that let patients get tests more quickly and closer to home.
“One of the most powerful tools we have to beat cancer is screening, which is why campaigns like Love Your Cervix are so important in encouraging women to come forward for their cervical screening, helping us eradicate cervical cancer by 2040.
“These innovations and efforts are already changing lives, and this plan will help us spread that progress even further.
“Our focus is simple: earlier diagnosis, excellent treatment and compassionate support for every patient, wherever they live in our region.”
Read the National Cancer Plan for England: https://www.england.nhs.uk/cancer/about/.