Wales to develop first national cancer strategy in two decades

Nation.Cymru staff

The Welsh Government is to develop the country’s first national cancer strategy in more than 20 years, promising a 10-year plan to improve cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Health Secretary Mabon ap Gwynfor said the strategy would provide the “national direction and strategic ambition” he believes has been missing from cancer services in Wales, where outcomes continue to lag behind expectations.

Cancer is the biggest cause of death in Wales and one in two people will be affected by the disease during their lifetime.

The strategy, which is due to be published on World Cancer Day on 4 February 2027, will be shaped by a public call for evidence involving patients, carers, clinicians, charities and the wider public.

The Welsh Government said it would also work with the European Cancer Organisation and other international partners to draw on the latest evidence and innovations in cancer care.

Ministers said the strategy would focus on preventing cancer, improving early diagnosis and creating better treatment pathways from diagnosis through to end-of-life care. It will also seek to reduce variation in cancer services across Wales.

The Wales Cancer Alliance, which represents more than 30 cancer charities, has already been engaged as work begins on the strategy, alongside the NHS and third sector organisations.

Announcing the plans, Mabon ap Gwynfor said: “For patients waiting too long for diagnosis, for families in rural communities who face greater barriers to care, and for the clinicians working hard to deliver world-class treatment with insufficient national coordination, this strategy matters.

“Wales has not introduced a national cancer strategy since 2006. In the two decades since, treatments have transformed, diagnostic technology has advanced, the needs of our population have changed, and our understanding of cancer has deepened dramatically.

“This Welsh Government is moving at pace, and it is moving with purpose on this priority of national importance. Every person in Wales deserves the best possible chance against cancer. This strategy will deliver it.”

Financial services

Alongside the new strategy, the Welsh Government said it is developing “Right to Be Forgotten” principles aimed at helping cancer survivors access financial services.

Work is also under way on a travel and accommodation fund for children and young people attending cancer appointments, while a feasibility study has been commissioned into a new Rapid Diagnostic Centre in Powys.

The strategy forms part of the Welsh Government’s programme to improve cancer care after acknowledging that, despite advances in treatment, the performance of cancer services in Wales has continued to fall short of where ministers want it to be.