NHS Cancer programme update April - September 2019

NHS Cancer programme update April - September 2019
NHS England 13 December 2019

• This report provides an update on what has been achieved so far to deliver on the NHS Long Term Plan ambitions in quarters one and two for 2019/20 around earlier and faster diagnosis, personalised care and support, operational performance, advanced therapies (Proton Beam Therapy, CAR-T therapy,  workforce, leadership and governance.

How can we best incentivise world class cancer services in England?

How can we best incentivise world class cancer services in England?
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.

Review of national cancer screening programmes in England

Review of national cancer screening programmes in England
NHS England 6 February 2019 with updates

Independent Review of National Cancer Screening Programmes in England. Interim Report of Emerging Findings
Prof Sir Mike Richards, 24 May 2019

• This interim report presents emerging findings around
• Governance and accountability
• Uptake and coverage
• Delays in implementation
• IT
• Poor performance in meeting other KPIs
• Population and targeted screening
• Workforce
• Research access

Review of national cancer screening programmes in England
NHS England 7 February 2019

• This document provide details, including the terms of reference, for an independent review of national cancer screening programmes in England.
• The programme was launched by Professor Sir Mike Richards and is part of the Long Term Plan. It will make a series of recommendations to the NHS England board about the future delivery of cancer screening programmes and is expected to be published by summer 2019. [NHS England announcement here.]

Implementing the NHS Long Term Plan

Implementing the NHS Long Term Plan
NHS England 28 February 2019

• More detail on the legislative changes to help implement the Long Term Plan. Consultation on these proposals closes on 25 April 2019.
• The proposals include the suggestion that legislation enables NHS England to enter into formal joint commissioning arrangements with CCGs about specialised services including providing the ability to pool budgets.  
• See Health and Social Care Committee inquiry into these suggestions.

A Long Term Plan for children’s critical care [blogpost]

A Long Term Plan for children’s critical care [blogpost]
Harriet Ward 16 January 2019

• A manager of the South East England Paediatric Networks looks at the Long Term Plan and what it means for critical care and specialised surgery for children.

NHS Long Term Plan – highlights for commissioning of cancer services

NHS Long Term Plan – highlights for Specialised Commissioning of cancer services
NHS England 7 January 2019
Extracts from the NHS Long Term Plan relating to cancer services (paras 3.51-3.65)

• The plan highlights 
• A new ambition that, by 2028, the proportion of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 will rise from around half now to three-quarters of cancer patients. 
• use of personalised and risk stratified screening and testing the family members of cancer patients where they are at increased risk of cancer. 
• bowel cancer screening, 
• HPV primary screening for cervical cancer, 
• an extension of lung health checks, 
• new cancer screening programmes and diagnostic capacity, 
• work by Primary care networks to ensure improvement in early diagnosis, 
• a faster diagnosis standard from 2020 and overhaul of diagnostic services 
• investment in equipment 
• investment to ensure roll out of new techniques and technologies 
• use of molecular diagnostics and rollout of routinely offer genomic testing over the next ten years 
• personalised care planning for those diagnosed with cancer and appropriate follow up after treatment. 

Milestones for cancer
• From 2019 we will start to roll out new Rapid Diagnostic Centres across the country.
• In 2020 a new faster diagnosis standard for cancer will begin to be introduced so that patients receive a definitive diagnosis or ruling out of cancer within 28 days.
• By 2020 HPV primary screening for cervical cancer will be in place across England.
• By 2021, where appropriate every person diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including needs assessment, a care plan and health and wellbeing information and support.
• By 2022 the lung health check model will be extended.
• By 2023, stratified, follow-up pathways for people who are worried their cancer may have recurred. These will be in place for all clinically appropriate cancers.
• By 2028, the NHS will diagnose 75% of cancers at stage 1 or 2.

Watch the Health and Social Care committee 8 January 2019 discussing Early diagnosis and the cancer workforce in the NHS long-term plan 

Integration of specialised services with local health and care systems: Preparing for 2019/20 Operational Planning and Contracting Annex E

Preparing for 2019/20 Operational Planning and Contracting Annex E: Integration of specialised services with local health and care systems
NHS England 21 December 2018

• Detail on how specialised services will be planned in collaboration with local systems to ensure more joined-up care for patients.