Solving Kids' Cancer UK's response to England's new National Cancer Plan

We warmly welcome the publication of the National Cancer Plan for England and the clear recognition it provides - for the first time - of the distinct needs of children and young people with cancer. 

The inclusion of a dedicated section of children’s cancers marks a significant milestone in national cancer policy and reflects years of work across the sector to ensure children are no longer overlooked in cancer strategy development. Evidence shows that countries with a dedicated national cancer control plan are significantly more likely to deliver comprehensive, coherent and better‑coordinated cancer services than those without one. This demonstrates the importance of explicitly including children and young people in national cancer plans, ensuring their unique needs are embedded in system‑wide improvements to outcomes, research, care and experience. 

As an active member of the Children and Young People (CYP) Cancer Taskforce charity subgroup and through our formal consultation response, SKC has consistently advocated for a bold, evidence‑based, and partnership‑driven approach to improving outcomes for children with cancer. We stand ready to work with government, the NHS, researchers, and the wider sector to ensure the commitments made in this plan translate into real, measurable improvements for children and families. 

We are especially pleased to see the Plan formally recognise the IMPACCT initiative, founded and facilitated by Solving Kids’ Cancer UK, as a key vehicle for strengthening clinical research infrastructure in paediatric oncology. With the majority of children with cancer participating in a clinical trial at some point during treatment, this is an essential area of focus. Its inclusion demonstrates a clear and encouraging commitment to addressing long‑standing barriers in trial set‑up and delivery for CYP cancers, and it reflects the government’s confidence in sector‑led partnership models that bring together clinicians, researchers, and patient organisations. We welcome this recognition and look forward to working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and other delivery partners to accelerate research progress and ensure that every child and young person can benefit from timely access to innovative treatments. 

What does the plan say? 

The National Cancer Plan is structured around a series of major themes - performance and waiting times, prevention, early diagnosis, personalised care, research and innovation, children and young people, and rare cancers - with each chapter setting out system‑wide reforms to modernise cancer services and improve outcomes. 

While Chapter 6 provides the first ever dedicated section on children and young people’s cancers, CYP needs are also reflected across the wider plan. Notably, the research chapter identifies cancers affecting children and young people as a national research priority, including commitments to improve trial access and remove age‑based barriers. In its new governance arrangements, the plan confirms that CYP cancers will have representation within the reformed National Cancer Board, embedding accountability for CYP across national oversight structures. 

The dedicated chapter on rare and less common cancers also includes several commitments highly relevant for children and young people, such as improving survival, appointing dedicated clinical and research leads, and implementing the Rare Cancers Bill to expand trial access, which should be seen as cross‑cutting priorities for paediatric oncology.

Alongside these broader references to children and young people, the Government have highlighted specific commitments for the CYP population in Chapter 6.

Below, we break down the chapter theme-by-theme, highlighting what we recommended in our consultation response, what the published Plan says, and reflections on what this means for children and young people with cancer. 

Early detection and diagnosis 

What we recommended

• Improve primary care awareness of paediatric cancer signs and symptoms; co‑produce training and guidance with charities and clinicians.
• Review and strengthen referral pathways for CYP, informed by lived experience, to reduce emergency presentations and diagnostic delay.

What the Plan includes

The Plan sets out a comprehensive commitment to speeding up detection and diagnosis for children and young people, recognising the significant impact a faster route to diagnosis can have on treatment options, survival, and long‑term outcomes. It acknowledges persistent barriers within primary and emergency care - including variation in paediatric‑specific training and access to specialist advice - and outlines a set of system‑level reforms designed to ensure timely recognition, investigation and escalation. 

Four specific actions have been identified to improve detection and timely diagnosis of cancer in children and young people: 

• Embed CYP needs into Neighbourhood Health Service and MDT design. 
• Ensure primary and emergency clinicians can seek rapid paediatric specialist advice. 
• Ensure paediatric radiologist reporting for suspected cancer imaging. 
• Prioritise safe AI-based decision tools for CYP. 

Our reflections 

We welcome the focus on systemic enablers such as paediatric advice lines for primary care providers, dedicated paediatric radiology input at diagnosis and CYP‑specific AI safeguards. The success of these measures will depend on multiple factors including workforce planning, appropriate education and training, and data transparency. To support the implementation of these actions, we encourage the government to consider: 

• Working in partnership with organisations on signs and symptoms awareness and championing existing campaigns such as You Know them Best by the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust, and Child Cancer Smart by CCLG. 
• Publicly reported time-to-diagnosis metrics to measure success and allow targeted interventions where needed. 
• Workforce planning for paediatric radiology and community diagnostics to meet the new standards. 
• Coordinated primary care training and adoption of national symptom resources co‑produced with the sector. 

Experience of care 

What we recommended 

• A commitment to family‑centred support covering emotional, financial, and practical needs. 
• Universal support for travel costs incurred for hospital visits during treatment and follow-up, including when accessing clinical trials through the NHS, modelled on Young Lives Vs Cancer’s Young Cancer Patient Travel Fund. 
• Standardisation of psychosocial support services across the country. 
• Partnership working with patient organisations and charities who provide support services. 

What the plan includes  

The Plan acknowledges that although many CYP report good experiences of cancer care, there remain areas where the system must improve - particularly in relation to non‑clinical support, travel burden, hospital environment, and age‑appropriate services. It highlights the emotional, financial, and practical pressures families face and commits to reducing these disparities through concrete, patient‑centred measures. These efforts collectively aim to deliver a more consistent, holistic and developmentally appropriate experience for all CYP receiving cancer care. 

Four specific actions have been outlined to improve the overall experience of care: 

• Provide £10m annually for CYP cancer travel costs. 
• Improve hospital food for CYP 
• Improve hospital experience (play, youth support coordination) 
• Standardise medical psychosocial care and surveillance for late effects. 

Our reflections 

These are strong, practical commitments that respond directly to lived experience. We particularly welcome the universal travel fund, which has long been raised as a much-needed support services for families, who experience significant financial burdens as a direct result of their child’s diagnosis. In addition, a standardised approach to psychosocial care and monitoring of late effects is a step towards levelling up the wrap-around support that children receive beyond treatment for their disease. To maximise the potential of these commitments, appropriate plans for implementation must be developed, including: 

• Measurable standards for access to psychosocial care services, and commitment to ensure this also benefits parents, carers and siblings 
• Clarification on what the new travel fund will cover and how families will access this 
• Appropriately ring-fenced funding for Play Specialists and Youth Support Coordinators 

Genomic testing and novel treatments 

What we recommended 

• Levelling‑up Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) for CYP cancers, including improved turnaround times, and equity of access and standardised expertise across the country.  
• Better governance and use of genomic data for research. 

What the plan includes 

The Plan reaffirms genomic testing as a core part of modern CYP cancer care, highlighting its importance for precision treatment, identifying predispositions, guiding surveillance, and supporting access to trials. While recognising current challenges - such as delays, variable access, and gaps in data linkage - the Plan commits to structural improvements that ensure genomic pathways are more consistent, equitable, and clinically useful.  

One action is outlined that aims to unlock the full potential of genomics for both individual care and future research: 

• Establish cancer predisposition services for children and young people and make children and young people's genomics a core deliverable for the NHS Genomic Medicine Service to ensure specialist support and surveillance is available nationally. 

Our reflections

It is encouraging to see the Government’s recognition of the current shortfalls in genomic services and a commitment to improve this. The introduction of a dedicated predisposition service for children and holistic support is positive, but this must be appropriately funded and monitored to ensure direct clinical benefit reaches patients. In addition, existing genomic services could be strengthened by: 

• A commitment to specific turnaround times for genomic testing that are consistently met across different regions 
• Standard access to genomic testing in cases of relapse to inform clinical decisions 

Research into children and young people’s cancers 

What we recommended 

• Prioritisation of funding and facilitating research into CYP cancers in national cancer policy. 
• A national commitment to accelerating the set‑up and delivery of CYP cancer trials, in partnership with the IMPACCT initiative. 
• Streamlined regulatory pathways, improved data governance, and better national coordination. 

What the Plan includes 

The Plan positions children and young people’s cancer as a clear research priority for the next phase of national cancer policy, recognising the need for gentler, more effective treatments and improved quality of life. It commits to building a more coordinated national research ecosystem, reducing duplication, and addressing long‑standing barriers to clinical trial access, eligibility, visibility and set‑up times. Importantly, the Plan highlights the role of the IMPACCT initiative in delivering these ambitions and strengthening research infrastructure across Principal Treatment Centres. 

Two actions are outlined to bring a step-change in CYP cancer research: 

• Establish national collaborative research priorities for CYP cancer 
• Break down barriers to clinical trials for CYP 

Our reflections

We are pleased to see a shift from the Government in its commitment to prioritise CYP cancer research in national cancer policy, a gap that has existed for far too long. Targeted action to accelerate clinical research and ensure that it is accessible for the patients who need it is a welcome and positive step to advancing treatments, especially for the hardest-to-treat cancer types. Establishing national priorities in partnership other partners could help to streamline research across the sector, however, the need for more secure investment and more suitable regulatory pathways for CYP cancers is not fully addressed. To truly improve and accelerate the research ecosystem for CYP cancers, further commitments are needed: 

• Commitment to address insufficient investment in CYP cancer research, through central resourcing and industry engagement 
• Exploration of bespoke regulatory pathways for CYP cancer research to promote access to innovation 

Data collection and publication 

What we recommended 

• Improved data flows for CYP cancers to inform research, service planning, referral pathways, and outcome monitoring. 
• Regularly published CYP datasets that provide information on diagnosis, outcomes, clinical trial participation and care experience. 

What the Plan includes 

The Plan emphasises the need for stronger, more transparent data on CYP cancer to inform service planning, research, and accountability. It recognises gaps in current datasets - including limited publication of diagnostic intervals and long‑term outcome data - and commits to improving national data collection and reporting across the pathway.  

One action is outlined to support a more evidence‑driven system: 

• Improve national CYP cancer data collection and long-term outcomes datasets. 

Our reflections

We welcome the commitment to improved data collection and publication specific to children and young people, as this existing gap has been detrimental to the progression of care and research up to now. We hope to see the Government provide clear delivery plans for this, including: 

• Transparency around who owns and is responsible for publishing and sharing datasets.  
• Proper navigation of data sharing regulations to support data-informed research 
• Meaningful incorporation of Patient Reported Outcomes and Measures (PROMs) into national repositories

Overall Assessment 

We welcome this Plan as a major opportunity to improve outcomes and experiences for CYP with cancer. We particularly value: 

• The unprecedented recognition of CYP as a standalone priority group.
• The commitment to collaborate through the IMPACCT initiative to accelerate research.
• The commitment to a £10 million travel fund for children and young people affected by cancer.
• The intent to enhance early diagnosis, genomic medicine, data quality, and family‑centred care. 

Where the Plan could go further, we offer constructive suggestions in a spirit of partnership, reflecting our desire to support and strengthen the government’s ambition to level up treatment, care and research for children and young people with cancer. 

Solving Kids’ Cancer UK stands ready to: 

• Support implementation of the CYP section at national and regional levels.
• Work with DHSC in advancing the work of IMPACCT.
• Contribute evidence, patient voice insight, and expertise.
• Collaborate with clinical leaders, research networks, and charities to deliver change at pace. 

We look forward to working with government and sector partners to ensure this Plan delivers meaningful, measurable improvements for children and young people with cancer - now and in the future.