Plans Announced To Improve Access To Cancer Care Across England

The government has announced a package of measures aimed at reducing geographical inequalities in cancer care, with a particular focus on improving access to specialists and diagnostic technology in rural and coastal areas.

Published on 22 January 2026, the announcement from the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) outlines proposals that will form part of a forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England.

Central to the plans is an expansion of cancer specialist training places, targeted at NHS trusts with the largest workforce gaps. The government says rural and coastal areas will be prioritised, where shortages of cancer consultants have contributed to longer waiting times for diagnosis and treatment.

The government will work with the Royal Colleges to encourage more doctors to train in clinical and medical oncology, with the aim of strengthening the long-term pipeline of cancer specialists in underserved areas.

Alongside workforce measures, the National Cancer Plan will introduce new national standards for cancer care and seek to tackle variation in service quality across England. Regional partnerships of health leaders and clinicians will use improved data and streamlined metrics to identify where services are falling short and drive improvements.

The plan also includes reforms to how cancer-detecting technologies are assessed and rolled out across the NHS. NICE will extend its existing approach to medicines so that clinically and cost-effective diagnostic devices and digital tools are made available more consistently nationwide. Once approved, NHS bodies will be required to fund these technologies, with the aim of reducing regional disparities in access.

Technologies expected to be assessed under the new model include rapid tests for oesophageal cancer, AI-supported analysis of tissue samples for prostate and breast cancer, AI-assisted chest X-ray reading to support earlier lung cancer diagnosis, and new diagnostic approaches for endometrial cancer.

The government says the reforms build on wider commitments in its 10-Year Health Plan, including diverting additional funding to deprived areas, expanding community diagnostic centres, and investing £70 million in new radiotherapy equipment. Ministers also highlighted progress in reducing cancer waiting lists, with an additional 213,000 cases diagnosed or ruled out on time since July last year.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said the measures are intended to end what he described as a “postcode lottery” in cancer care, ensuring patients have the same chance of early diagnosis and treatment regardless of where they live.

NHS England, NICE, Macmillan Cancer Support and partner organisations welcomed the plans, emphasising the importance of consistent access to specialists, diagnostics and support services, particularly for communities that have historically experienced poorer outcomes.

Read the government announcement here

Access to health and care services remains a longstanding challenge for many rural, coastal and small-town communities, where workforce shortages, longer travel times and higher service delivery costs can limit timely access to diagnosis and treatment.

The focus on targeting specialist training places to areas with the greatest gaps, alongside the commitment to roll out diagnostic technology more evenly across the country, aligns with calls for health policy to better reflect rural circumstances. As highlighted in the Rural Services Network’s Delivering for All roadmap, improving access to rural health and care services requires sustained investment, workforce planning that recognises rural needs, and policies designed around place rather than a one-size-fits-all model.

At the same time, access to cancer services in rural and coastal areas is also shaped by wider infrastructure factors. Limited public transport, longer travel distances, and patchy digital connectivity can affect patients’ ability to attend appointments, access remote consultations, or benefit fully from new diagnostic pathways. Ensuring that improvements in cancer care are matched by investment in rural transport and digital infrastructure will be important to translating national policy commitments into practical access for patients living in more remote communities.

The National Cancer Plan will outline the approach to delivering these commitments, including how access to cancer services is supported in rural areas.

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