The Department of Health and Social Care has announced a new three-year Neighbourhood Early Diagnosis Fund as part of £200 million investment in local cancer care.
From 2026, Cancer Alliances - regional NHS partnerships that coordinate cancer services – and neighbourhood health services will work directly with local communities, screening commissioners and providers to develop targeted campaigns aimed at reducing the gap in screening uptake between the most and least deprived areas.
National Medical Director at NHS England, Dr Claire Fuller, said: “Screening is crucial in helping the NHS catch cancers earlier and boost people’s chance of survival, but it’s vital that it is as easy to get screened in the most deprived areas as is in the most affluent parts of England.
“Through the National Cancer Plan we will work closer with local communities to ensure that barriers to early diagnosis and screening opportunities are eradicated and help to make England a world-leader for cancer survival.”
