TO BE PUBLISHED May 2026
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The conference will consider next steps for cancer policy in England.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss key issues for implementation of the recently published National Cancer Plan for England, alongside wider reform to NHS structures and the 10 Year Health Plan’s shift in focus towards community, prevention and digital. Delegates will discuss what is needed if ambitions in the National Cancer Plan are to be achievable in practice, including implementing the Faster Diagnosis Standard by March 2029.
The agenda looks at next steps for research, prevention, and care. Sessions will examine priorities for supporting improved service delivery and patient outcomes, and how commitments can be effectively advanced in areas such as screening programmes, progressing towards diagnostic targets, and early adoption of AI-enabled triage.
Screening, prevention & achieving faster diagnoses
Delegates will discuss approaches to improving access to screening and vaccination programmes, particularly in respect of reducing inequalities for hard-to-reach groups. With measures identified in the strategy as initial priorities for delivery - including expansion of newborn screening, rollout of lung cancer screening, and use of genomics in identifying inherited conditions - practicalities of implementation will be assessed.
Sessions will assess priorities for research and evidence needed to inform future decisions around targeted screening, risk stratification, and potential harms. It comes with the UK National Screening Committee consulting on prostate cancer screening, with recommendations expected to be published in March.
The way forward for gender‑specific approaches will be explored in the context of the Men’s Health Strategy and revised Women’s Health Strategy. Areas for discussion include local prevention options, support mechanisms, and considerations around access, engagement, and outcomes - particularly for minority groups.
Public health messaging & engagement
Strategies for strengthening public awareness and community engagement will be considered, including latest thinking on approaches to tackling smoking, obesity and poor diet. Areas for discussion include the role of community-level programmes for high-risk groups, support within school and workplace settings, and next steps for initiatives such as the recent implementation of restrictions on volume-based promotions for HFSS food, and proposals to tighten licensing and promotion rules in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill - currently progressing through Parliament.
Further discussion will consider the way forward for taking account of patient voice and applying Jess’s Rule in practice, alongside priorities for enhancing workforce education to improve patient safety and outcomes. Strategic options for addressing pressures in primary care that are affecting cancer diagnostics and outcomes will also be considered.
Community-based care, workforce capacity, digitalisation & learning form international practice
As community-based care models expand as part of the 10 Year Health Plan, sessions will consider priorities for integrating cancer prevention and diagnostics into routine care, and improving equity of access to cancer services. This includes questions around oversight and accountability arrangements, cross-departmental coordination, strategic commissioning, and budget allocation for cancer services within integrated care systems.
Delegates will discuss priorities for patient support moving forward, as well as assessing commitments to provide holistic needs assessments and personalised care plans, alongside funding announced for young patients’ travel to and from care services.
Strategies for improving workforce capacity will be assessed, including options for creating more training places for cancer consultants and priorities for upskilling of clinical staff, as well as the role and structure of cancer alliances, and what is further needed for expansion of community diagnostic hubs.
Sessions will also focus on the digital transition, assessing how the NHS App can improve follow-up pathways for positive test results, while balancing risks of digital exclusion for hard to reach groups. Priorities for improving IT infrastructure and interoperability for clinicians will also be discussed.
Further discussion will examine international approaches to cancer care pathways, drawing on effective practice from other health systems, and considering interoperability with strategy in England for improving equity of access and outcomes.
Research, clinical trials, AI & accelerating innovation
Attendees will consider priorities for research and clinical trials, discussing changes to clinical trial and personalised medicines regulations, alongside safeguards to ensure equitable eligibility decisions, and structures for faster, ethical contract approval. Areas for discussion include expanding vaccine trials through the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, key considerations for funding models for personalised vaccines, and priorities for the expanded Health Data Research Service in accelerating innovation, as well as addressing variation in adoption rates.
Sessions will explore priorities for improving access to innovative therapies, assessing criteria for selecting patients for genomic testing, implications for patient pathways to personalised treatment and medicines, and strengthening the delivery of advances in cancer genomics. Further sessions will examine priorities for the relaunched Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce, with discussion on how rarer cancers and age-specific needs can be addressed, and how patient involvement in service design can cater to wider needs beyond treatment.
The application of AI supercomputing to cancer datasets and vaccine discovery will also be discussed, looking at approaches to governance of AI-driven analysis, as well as how the Cancer Healthcare Goals programme is expected to contribute to faster adoption of new technologies.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
