Expert cancer board to monitor NHS progress

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By Sarah Lowden

The government’s new national cancer board plans to improve the speed of diagnosis and the quality of treatment.

The group, which includes dedicated expert leads for rare cancers, is meeting for the first time to begin its work assessing how well the NHS is doing against the more than 100 commitments to improving care in the National Cancer Plan.

Independent co-chair Anita Charlesworth will lead the board alongside Mark Cubbon from NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care. They will be joined by Dr Rob Metcalf, clinical lead for rare cancers, and Dr Dianne Addei, lead for inequalities, among others.

The board will meet once per quarter and will publish an annual report, plus a more detailed review after three years.

Charlesworth said: “The National Cancer Plan is rightly ambitious, and this board will maintain a relentless focus on earlier diagnosis and making sure innovation reaches every patient, no matter who they are or where they live."