TO BE PUBLISHED May 2026
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The conference will consider next steps for cancer policy in England, with a focus on research, prevention, and care.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss implementation of the 10 Year Health Plan and National Cancer Plan for England, alongside wider reforms to NHS structures. Delegates will examine what will be needed to support improved service delivery and patient outcomes, examining commitments on screening programmes, diagnostic targets, and early adoption of AI-enabled triage.
Prevention & achieving faster diagnoses
Delegates will discuss ambitions in the recently published National Cancer Plan - including achieving Faster Diagnosis Standard targets - alongside the rollout of lung cancer screening. Sessions will assess how structural reforms in the 10 Year Health Plan - including changes to the role of Cancer Alliances - could influence commissioning, funding, and equity of access to cancer services. Early measures will also be considered, such as expanded vaccination programmes and their role in reducing inequalities across communities.
Looking at wider priorities for prevention, the agenda will bring out latest thinking on approaches to tackling smoking, obesity, and poor diet, examining initiatives such as the recent implementation of restrictions on volume-based price promotions for high in fat, sugar or salt foods, measures to address inequalities in access to vaccines and screening, and broader issues relating to fiscal mechanisms including excise duties.
Community-based care
Options and priorities for developing neighbourhood and community-based models of care will be considered, with discussion expected on workforce capacity, and IT infrastructure in the context of financial constraints and ongoing system reform. Areas for discussion include how to balance the expanded use of the NHS App and digital follow-up with risks of digital exclusion, the role of community diagnostic hubs, and ways to support patient travel and accommodation.
Service design & research
Delegates will examine the relaunch of the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce, including how rarer cancers and age-specific needs can be addressed, and how patient involvement in service design can address wider needs beyond treatment. Further sessions will explore access to innovative therapies more widely, looking at implications for patient pathways to personalised treatment and medicine, and delivery of advances in cancer genomics, vaccine trials through the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, along with further advances in precision care.
Attendees will also look at priorities for research, data, and clinical trials, and the role of the expanded Health Data Research Service in accelerating innovation. The application of artificial intelligence supercomputing to cancer datasets and vaccine discovery, and how the Cancer Healthcare Goals programme is expected to contribute to faster adoption of new technologies, will also be considered.
Overview of areas for discussion
- policy: sequencing of national targets and commitments - coordination between central departments and NHS bodies - oversight arrangements to ensure accountability
- screening: access - staffing and capacity for interpreting results - follow-up pathways for positive tests - international benchmarking early diagnosis rates - Faster Diagnosis Standard progress
- care models: travel and accommodation support - role of community diagnostic hubs - digital alternatives for follow-up balanced against risks of exclusion
- prevention: fiscal mechanisms such as excise duties - school and workplace health promotion - community-level programmes for high-risk groups - restrictions on HFSS volume promotions
- system change: procurement for new technologies - budget allocation within integrated systems - managing risks of disruption during transition - future role and structure of Cancer Alliances
- precision treatment: criteria for selecting patients for genomic testing - funding models for personalised vaccines - safeguards to ensure equitable eligibility decisions
- clinical research: structures for faster ethical and contract approval - incentives for non-commercial and rare cancer trials - partnership models with charities and smaller biotech firms
- data innovation: governance of AI-driven analysis - safeguards for patient consent in large datasets - investment needs for secure and interoperable platforms - addressing risks of exclusion
- implementation capacity: retaining and upskilling clinical staff - funding for IT upgrades and cybersecurity - patient involvement in co-design - survivorship and wider needs
