Cancer Plan: New Nursing Roles & Opportunities in England | 2029 Waiting Time Goals
- The UK government has unveiled a National Cancer Plan for England, aiming to improve outcomes and access to care for cancer patients.
- A central component of the plan is a commitment to ensuring every patient receives support from a clinical nurse specialist or other named lead throughout their cancer journey.
- The government intends to create “new opportunities” for both newly qualified and experienced nurses to pursue careers in cancer nursing, including advanced roles such as nurse consultants.
The UK government has unveiled a National Cancer Plan for England, aiming to improve outcomes and access to care for cancer patients. Published today, , the plan focuses on expanding the role of specialist nurses, increasing treatment options outside of traditional hospital settings, and accelerating diagnoses.
Improving Access and Support Through Nursing
A central component of the plan is a commitment to ensuring every patient receives support from a clinical nurse specialist or other named lead throughout their cancer journey. This acknowledges the complexity of cancer pathways and the increasing need for personalized care, particularly as understanding of the disease and treatment innovations evolve. The plan recognizes that patients often have multiple long-term conditions, further complicating their care needs.
The government intends to create “new opportunities” for both newly qualified and experienced nurses to pursue careers in cancer nursing, including advanced roles such as nurse consultants. Grants for clinical nurse specialists will be prioritized in areas with the greatest need, and training opportunities will be expanded through the Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development (ACCEND) program.
Lynn Woolsey, chief nursing officer at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), welcomed the plan, stating that it “rightly recognises the crucial role specialist nurses…can play in delivering it.” She emphasized the importance of a highly skilled nursing workforce, including advanced nurse practitioners and cancer nurse specialists, in devising and delivering person-centered treatment plans, as well as community and palliative care nurses who support patients at home.
Shifting Treatment Locations and Expanding Services
The plan envisions a significant shift in where cancer treatment takes place, with “much more” care delivered in community and neighborhood health centers, and even in patients’ homes, by . This shift will rely heavily on “skilled nursing,” alongside increased staffing levels and the development of advanced practice roles. The government’s broader NHS neighborhood model will also play a role, with all cancer patients assigned a “neighborhood lead” – which could be a nurse from a hospice or other community healthcare provider – to coordinate their support network.
The plan details expansion of several key areas of cancer treatment, including robot-assisted surgeries, genomic testing, faster diagnostics, and treatment at specialist centers. These advancements are intended to improve outcomes and reduce waiting times.
Addressing Waiting Times and Improving Outcomes
The government has set ambitious targets within the plan, aiming for 75% of patients diagnosed from to be “cancer-free or living well after five years,” and to meet all cancer waiting time standards by . These goals are particularly important given current challenges, with over six million people in the UK currently awaiting care.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting acknowledged the current disparities in cancer survival rates, stating, “Cancer survival shouldn’t come down to who won the lottery of life. But cancer is more likely to be a death sentence in Britain than other countries around the world.” He expressed optimism that advancements in medical science and technology offer an opportunity to transform the life chances of cancer patients, and that the plan represents an investment in modernizing the NHS to realize this potential.
Direct Access to Diagnostics and Streamlined Referrals
Recent reforms, unveiled in January , aim to accelerate diagnoses and reduce backlogs by allowing patients to bypass consultants for referrals for certain conditions. Under this system, individuals can directly access tests and scans for conditions like asthma, tinnitus, post-menopausal bleeding, and bowel issues through their general practitioners (GPs). “Same-day service” options are intended to facilitate rapid follow-up consultations and treatments.
Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of NHS England, emphasized the need for timely access to diagnostic tests and consultations, believing this will help patients “get back to living their lives as soon as possible.”
Challenges and Future Workforce Planning
The plan acknowledges the significant challenges facing the NHS, including workforce deficits and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer services, which have led to record-high waiting times. The NHS is described as being at a “historic crossroads” and in “critical condition,” with a growing shortfall of staff projected to reach between 260,000 and 360,000 by if action is not taken.
Further details regarding the expansion of nursing roles and the overall workforce plan are expected to be released in the forthcoming 10-Year Workforce Plan, which will outline strategies for increasing staff supply, developing skill escalators, and creating new consultant nurse roles.