A new national board is set to oversee the delivery of England’s ambitious new cancer plan.
A new National Cancer Board has met for the first time yesterday on the 21st of September, bringing together NHS and government representatives to strengthen cancer care and ensure progress against the Government’s National Cancer Plan is properly scrutinised.
The Board has been established to oversee delivery of the National Cancer Plan, published in February 2026. The plan contains more than 100 commitments covering earlier diagnosis, preventative care, treatment, quality of life, research and innovation, and reducing inequalities in cancer care.
The Board will meet every quarter to review progress, identify areas where further action is needed and advise ministers. It will also publish an annual assessment of progress, followed by a more detailed review after three years. The aim is to ensure that the ambitions set out in the plan result in meaningful improvements for people affected by cancer.
A key feature of the new Board is its dedicated focus on groups whose experiences can sometimes receive less attention within cancer services. Dr Rob Metcalf has been appointed clinical lead for rare cancers, Dr Dianne Addei will lead on inequalities, and Ashley Ball-Gamble will focus on children and young people’s cancers.
For people affected by kidney cancer, the dedicated focus on rare and less common cancers is particularly significant. While kidney cancer is not among the most common cancers, thousands of people are diagnosed each year and patients can face specific challenges around diagnosis, treatment and living with and beyond cancer.
Having a dedicated national voice for rare and less common cancers provides an opportunity to ensure that the experiences of these patients are considered as the National Cancer Plan is implemented. Patient experience and feedback will also remain important in identifying where services need to improve.
There has already been progress in cancer waiting times. Between August 2025 and July 2026, 69.9% of cancer patients were treated within 62 days of referral, compared with 65.5% in the 12 months to June 2024. Around 43,000 more patients were treated within 62 days during the latest 12-month period.
However, further improvements are expected. By March 2029, the National Cancer Plan aims for 80% of patients to receive a diagnosis or all-clear within 28 days of an urgent suspected cancer referral. It also sets targets for 85% of patients to start treatment within 62 days and 96% to start treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat.
The Government’s longer-term ambition is that, by 2035, three in four people diagnosed with cancer will be cancer-free or living well five years after their diagnosis.
The creation of the National Cancer Board represents an important opportunity to turn these ambitions into action. Its focus on earlier diagnosis, timely treatment, inequalities, rare cancers and quality of life reflects many of the issues that matter to kidney cancer patients and their families.
For Kidney Cancer UK, the priority will be ensuring that people affected by kidney cancer continue to have their voices heard as the plan develops. The coming years will show whether the commitments in the National Cancer Plan translate into real improvements for patients across England.
Picture: National Cancer Institute
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