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It’s especially nice for me to be here at the Royal Free as a visitor for once, rather than as a patient. The Royal Free holds a very special place in my heart. It was here four-and-a-half years ago that the amazing Ravi Barod, my consultant, used a state-of-the-art robot to whip out my cancerous kidney. And from here that my clinical nurse specialist David Cullen was always at the end of a phone call or e-mail befor...
It’s especially nice for me to be here at the Royal Free as a visitor for once, rather than as a patient. The Royal Free holds a very special place in my heart. It was here four-and-a-half years ago that the amazing Ravi Barod, my consultant, used a state-of-the-art robot to whip out my cancerous kidney. And from here that my clinical nurse specialist David Cullen was always at the end of a phone call or e-mail before and after my operation. And the last time I was back here was just before Christmas when I received the best possible present: the news that I was still cancer-free. In what must be a first, over half the ministerial team in the Department of Health and Social Care are cancer patients: myself, Karin Smyth, and Ashley Dalton, who’s been the driving force behind this plan and poured her heart and soul into it. Receiving a cancer diagnosis at the age of 38 was a shock to put it mildly. It changed my life in an instant – and it’s changed my life forever. I was lucky, my cancer was caught early and I couldn’t have asked for better care at the Royal Free. That is a stark contrast to my friend Nathaniel Dye, who died last week with stage 4 bowel cancer. The blunt truth is that I’m here today because the NHS was here for me when I needed it, and Nathaniel isn’t because it wasn’t there for him. That’s the life and death difference. And now I’m in a position to end that cruel lottery of life and make sure cancer patients aren’t failed anymore. So our National Cancer Plan puts patients front and centre. It sets out how we will fight cancer on all fronts so that fewer people get cancer in the first place, more people become cancer-free, and everyone is supported to live well for longer. It’s an ambitious plan to save 320,000 more lives by 2035 – the fastest rate of improvement this century – and a promise that we will meet all three national cancer waiting time standards by the end of this Parliament: Faster diagnosis within 28 days Faster access to first treatment within 62 days And faster starts to treatment within 31 days. What’s really important is that this plan was not just cobbled together by a load of officials and policy wonks sitting behind their desks in Whitehall. It’s the result of listening to: Charities, like Maggie’s, CRUK, Macmillan and Cancer52 Clinicians, like Ravi Campaigners, like Roger, Lauren, Leanne, Bradley and Kreena And to thousands of cancer patients and families like you. The founder of the NHS, Aneurin Bevan, promised it would put a megaphone to the mouth of every patient who uses it. So I really do want to say the biggest possible thank you I can to everyone who got their megaphones out and contributed to this plan. Your voices run through it. We heard, for example, from families of children with cancer who’ve campaigned for two decades for support with travel costs. These parents and family members need to focus on getting their child through cancer. The last thing they need is having to work out how they will afford to travel to their child’s bedside. And I was delighted we announced yesterday that travel costs are one less thing that families will have to worry about. When it comes to cancer, there’s progress to build on. Since we came into government 18 months ago: Over 200,000 more people received a cancer diagnosis on time Around 37,000 more patients have started treatment on time And rates of early diagnosis are hitting record highs. We delivered five million more appointments in our first year. Recruited 2,500 more GPs. And ambulances arrived 15 minutes faster this winter. Despite these vital signs of recovery, I will be the first to say that the job is nowhere near done. There is so much more to do when patients are being treated in corridors, too many are still stuck on waiting lists, and when our National Health Service is still failing far too many cancer patients. Some of the most heartbreaking stories I’ve heard in this job are from those: Whose care lacked empathy and dignity Whose cancer was missed or test results lost Who were passed from pillar to post and kept in the dark about their condition Whose loved ones died before their turn came for surgery because the wait was too long. Those experiences are not only unacceptable, they’re devastating. And they put fire in my belly to undertake the radical changes we need to turn cancer from this country’s biggest killer into a chronic condition that’s treatable and manageable for three in four patients. Three in four is not just a statistic or target. It’s a promise to hundreds of thousands more people that they will be there for the moments that matter. The National Cancer Plan sets out how we will get there in what is a clean break with the failure of the last 15 years. Since 2011, we’ve had two cancer plans and a long-term health plan that made cancer a priority. However well intentioned, not one of these strategies changed the blunt reality that our record on cancer simply isn’t good enough. Cancer mortality rates in the UK are much higher than in other European countries, while survival is much lower. Look more closely and you expose the shameful inequality and injustice that working class communities, like the one I grew up in, are being failed most of all. Preventable risk factors like poor diets, drinking too much, smoking, and too little exercise cluster in poorer parts of the country. And the most deprived areas, including rural and coastal communities, often have fewer cancer consultants, leaving patients waiting longer for vital care. If you live in a big city and have access to a university hospital, you get a different kind of cancer care – in terms of support and survival – than you do in a rural or coastal community. It all adds up to the chilling fact that someone living in Kingston Upon Hull is almost twice as likely to die young from cancer than someone living in Richmond Upon Thames. Lung cancer alone contributes to almost a whole year of the nine-year life expectancy gap between richer and poorer parts of this country. And so we will roll out the Lung Cancer Screening programme nationally by 2030. We will also end the postcode lottery that casts a shadow over cancer care in this country with more cancer doctors for rural and coastal areas. Because wherever you live you deserve the same shot at survival and quality of life as everyone else. With this plan hardwired to narrow health inequalities, we’ll turn that promise into a reality. Cancer patients – everywhere – will be diagnosed earlier, treated sooner and cared for better. We’ll do that by bringing care closer to people’s homes with more Community Diagnostic Centres open in the evenings and at weekends. And new liquid biopsy blood tests will speed up treatment decisions and help patients prepare for treatment from home. We’ll also harness the power of technology to transform how tests are assessed by using digital imaging, automation and AI – and how results are delivered using the NHS App. We’ll see a major expansion of the kind of robot-assisted surgery that I had – and look forward to the development of new vaccines and medical breakthroughs that can consign cancer to the history books. We’re also upping the ante on prevention, with tailored support for individuals and raising greater awareness of cancer. By 2035, the NHS App will bring together genomic and lifestyle data with the single patient record to advise every patient according to their risk. All this backed by broader measures to create a smoke-free generation, increase the uptake of the vaccines that already exist, expand access to weight-loss jabs, and bring in tighter rules for sunbeds and junk food ads. And because everyone’s experience is unique, we’re also announcing today that each patient will now receive a Personal Cancer Plan with bespoke assessments to ensure support fits their distinct clinical, practical and emotional needs. This is a really exciting 10 year plan, but we’re getting started right away so that we can turn the tide on cancer once and for all – ensuring survival rates that are up there with the best in the world. And there’s another reason this plan is important. Cancer is the canary in the coalmine when it comes to the NHS because it covers all parts of the patient journey, from diagnosis to treatment to recovery. So if we’re improving that pathway for cancer patients, then we’re creating a rising tide that lifts all ships. I feel a great responsibility to save the NHS that saved my life, and this is the litmus test. One in two of us will experience cancer directly during our lives and only a tiny number of people will be untouched by it. If we get cancer care right, we will get health care right. That’s why our National Cancer Plan is not just a personal priority, it is absolutely essential to our mission to take the NHS from the worst crisis in its history and make it fit for the future. Thank you.
Speech Brief