As has been the case throughout the pandemic, the NHS will continue to maintain services wherever possible, particularly for urgent and cancer care. Patients are encouraged to contact their GP with concerns about their health, particularly for suspected cancer symptoms.
The Government is absolutely committed to supporting the NHS recovery from Covid-19, which will help to reduce waiting times for cancer treatment and care.
The NHS Long Term Plan (LTP), published during 2019, outlined a number of new measures for catching cancer early and providing treatment, with the aim that from 2028, 55,000 more people each year will survive their cancer for at least five years after diagnosis. One of the measures outlined in the plan is safer and more precise treatment, including advanced radiotherapy techniques and immunotherapies to continue to support improvements in survival rates. This will be supported by a £130 million upgrade of radiotherapy machines across England, including £32 million to replace 17 Linear Accelerators aged over 10 years by the end of March 2022, as well as commissioning the NHS new state-of-the-art Proton Beam facilities in London and Manchester.
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