Incisive Health for Cancer Research UK, September 2019
- This paper explores how to best use financial levers and incentives to support the delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan (LTP) cancer ambitions, summarising findings and recommendations developed through consultation with experts.
- The report explores how funding and commissioning of services currently operates in the NHS in England and assesses what opportunities exist to deliver the ambitions of the NHS LTP. The conclusion reflects on the opportunity that exists, with the NHS LTP and accompanying funding settlement, to ensure funding for cancer services is optimally delivered to improve outcomes
- Box 1 - Principles that should guide decisions on cancer funding:
- Funding should take into account predicted increases in incidence, survival and comorbidity, ensuring that resources keep pace with need and are sufficient to deliver the ambitions of the Long Term Plan.
- Funding should be prioritised for the areas of cancer services where evidence shows it can deliver the biggest improvement in outcomes.
- Financial incentives should be used to support improvements in quality and service transformation, and to incentivise innovation, not just as a measure to stabilise current performance.
- Funding should also be used to encourage all those involved in cancer services to come together to design, test and implement radical new approaches to improved cancer outcomes.
- Funding should be allocated in a way which enables the NHS, at both a national and a local level, to track how money is used and to account for the progress delivered.
