We are speaking with #OneCancerVoice in signing a joint letter that appeared in The Times with 50-plus organisations across the cancer community. We welcome and support Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s Cancer Plan for England – but it needs to be fully funded and make research a priority if it is to deliver better outcomes for patients. Read the letter below.
Sir, A shortage of cancer specialists and diagnostic equipment in the NHS, alongside outdated IT systems, contributed to tens of thousands of cancer patients being treated late in England last year. The National Cancer Plan for England is the best chance of improving the lives of cancer patients, and could play an integral role in reforming the NHS. Wes Streeting, who is a cancer survivor himself, has spoken of his mission to improve the cancer survival rate.
His best chance of doing this is to ensure that the National Cancer Plan is fully funded and makes research a priority. About 2.2 million people will be diagnosed with cancer in the UK in the next five years. They deserve a quick diagnosis and fast access to the treatment they need. The government must make this a reality.
Richard Davidson, CEO, Sarcoma UK; Jeannie Rigby, CEO, Action Bladder Cancer UK; Rose Woodward, founder of Action Kidney Cancer; Helen Morement, CEO, AMMF – The Cholangiocarcinoma Charity; Henny Braund MBE, CEO, Anthony Nolan; Sophie Castell and Fiona Hazell, co-chairs, Blood Cancer Alliance; Helen Rowntree, CEO, Blood Cancer UK; Genevieve Edwards, CEO, Bowel Cancer UK; Dan Knowles, CEO, Brain Tumour Research; Dr Helen Bulbeck, director of services and policy, Brainstrust; Claire Rowney, CEO, Breast Cancer Now; Thalie Martini, CEO, Breast Cancer UK; Pamela Healy OBE, CEO, British Liver Trust; Chris Walden, CEO, Cancer52; Paul Campbell, CEO, Cancer Black Care; Robin Pritchard, co-director, Cancer Care Map; Michelle Mitchell OBE, CEO, Cancer Research UK; Ashley Gamble, CEO, Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group; Hilary Lindsay, chair, CLL Support Association; Natalie Haskell, CEO, CoppaFeel!; Melanie Costin, interim chief executive, Fight Bladder Cancer; Dr Jen Kelly, CEO, Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust; Tina Seymour, CEO, Hope for Tomorrow; Anna Jewel, chair, Less Survivable Cancer Taskforce; Fiona Hazell, CEO, Leukaemia UK; Ropinder Gill, CEO, Lymphoma Action; Gemma Peters, CEO, Macmillan Cancer Support; Dame Laura Lee DBE, CEO, Maggie’s; Sam Dixon, CEO, Make 2nds Count; Susanna Daniels, CEO, Melanoma Focus; Tracy Paine MBE, CEO, Melanoma UK; Sophie Castell, CEO, Myeloma UK; Nikie Jervis, director of support services & policy at Neuroendocrine Cancer UK; Cara Newton, director of brand & income, North West Cancer Research; Tamara Kahn, CEO, Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK; Stewart O’Callaghan, founder & CEO, OUTpatients; Joe Kirwin, CEO, Pancreatic Cancer Action; Diana Jupp, CEO, Pancreatic Cancer UK; Laura Kerby, CEO, Prostate Cancer UK; Sarah Quinlan MBE, director, Radiotherapy UK; Paula Chadwick, CEO, Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation; Gail Jackson, CEO, Solving Kids Cancer; Helen Dickens, deputy CEO at Target Ovarian Cancer; Kate Collins, CEO, Teenage Cancer Trust; Cameron Miller, director for external affairs and strategy, The Brain Tumour Charity; Athena Lamnisos, CEO, The Eve Appeal; Dr Tom Roques, vice-president, clinical oncology, The Royal College of Radiologists; Rebecca Porta, CEO, The Urology Foundation; Nina Barough CBE, founder and CEO of Walk the Walk Worldwide; Rachael Gormley, CEO, World Cancer Research Fund; Dr Kathryn Scott, CEO, Yorkshire Cancer Research; Rachel Kirby-Rider, CEO, Young Lives Vs Cancer; Barbara Fountain, CEO and founder, Young Tongues.
