Yorkshire Cancer Research statement on the New Neighbourhood Early Diagnosis Fund

• Health Secretary’s Barnsley visit places Yorkshire at the heart of Government’s commitment to addressing geographical cancer inequalities.

• Announcement follows the Yorkshire Cancer Research ‘White Rose’ campaign, which called for action to improve early diagnosis in the region.

During a visit by Health Secretary Wes Streeting to Barnsley yesterday, the Government again demonstrated its commitment to reducing geographical inequalities across Yorkshire and beyond. 

The Health Secretary announced a new £200 million fund for under-resourced areas, including many across Yorkshire.  

The new Neighbourhood Early Diagnosis Fund, which will provide £5.1 million for South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Cancer Alliance, aims to reduce inequalities in cancer screening and increase the number of cancers found at an early stage. 

Many of the challenges highlighted in this announcement reflect the findings of the Yorkshire Cancer Research White Rose Cancer Report. People in Yorkshire are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer, and die from it, than many other regions in England.

Last year, nearly 3,000 supporters of the Yorkshire Cancer Research White Rose campaign sent symbolic white roses to London, highlighting the needs of the region and calling for them not to be overlooked in the National Cancer Plan. Today’s announcement reflects the power of that collective effort. By standing with Yorkshire, supporters across the region have helped ensure the charity's voice has been heard in Westminster.  

The charity warmly welcomes the Health Secretary’s recognition of the inequalities faced by people living in Yorkshire, and his commitment to ‘tackle the postcode lottery’ in cancer care.  

Yorkshire Cancer Research is particularly pleased that this announcement has such a strong focus on Yorkshire. By choosing to make this announcement in the region, the Government directly acknowledges the challenges faced by people across Yorkshire and highlights the need to address unacceptable inequalities in our region as a central part of reducing national cancer disparities.   

Reducing regional inequalities in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and research underpinned each of the charity’s key recommendations for the National Cancer Plan set out in the White Rose Cancer Report.  

One of the measures outlined in the Report called for sustained innovation within screening programmes, backed by clear funding, and the charity welcomes the dedicated investment for reducing inequalities in early diagnosis and cancer screening announced yesterday.

Early diagnosis is critical to improving cancer survival. People diagnosed with cancer at a late stage often have fewer treatment options available to them.

Screening is the best way to diagnose cancer at the earliest possible stage. Designed for people without symptoms, screening can find cancers before they are noticeable, and in some cases can identify cell changes before they turn into cancer allowing them to be treated, so cancer is prevented.

Nine in 10 (89%) cancers diagnosed through screening are found at an early stage, leading to a greater likelihood of survival. By contrast, being diagnosed through an emergency route, for example during a visit to A&E, is associated with a higher likelihood of being diagnosed at a later stage, when treatment options can be limited and survival is less likely.

The NHS currently provides screening programmes for bowel, cervical and breast cancer, and a NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme is in the process of being rolled out.

In England, 57% of cancers are found at stage 1 or 2, but this figure is lower (54%) in Yorkshire.

In Yorkshire between April 2023 and March 2024, 3 in 10 screening invitations weren’t taken up. That means more than 800,000 screenings were missed. If these screening appointments took place, we estimate a further 1,958 cancers would be found, the majority at an early stage. Screening participation varies within the region too, with as few as 25% of people attending screening when invited in some parts of Yorkshire, and as many as 91% attending in others.

Yorkshire has the highest rate of cancers diagnosed through an emergency route out of any region in the country, with over a fifth (21%) being diagnosed this way. The national average is lower at 19%. 

Yorkshire Cancer Research has worked with universities, public authorities and the NHS across Yorkshire to help increase participation in existing screening programmes and drive innovations in screening.  

Projects include the charity’s ‘Cancer Champions’ programme, delivered in partnership with South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care Board, which saw GP practices in Barnsley, Bassetlaw, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield deliver a range of locally targeted activities to raise awareness of the importance of screening and encourage more people to take up their invitations. The charity has also recently worked in partnership with the University of Bradford to increase participation in screening among South Asian Muslim women living in the city.  

In addition, the charity has funded clinical trials to drive innovations in screening. Findings gathered as part of the charity’s multimillion-pound Leeds Lung Health Check trial contributed to the evidence needed to bring lung screening to people living across the whole country. The charity is also funding the IMProVE trial to explore how prostate cancer screening can be introduced.  

The charity is pleased to see that the Neighbourhood Early Diagnosis Fund will enable Cancer Alliances to work with community groups and charities to identify barriers to screening and design effective local campaigns.  

It is essential that the Government also delivers on its promise to make screening more accessible and roll out innovations in screening across the whole country as swiftly as possible, and with the funding required to deliver them effectively.  

Despite being announced in September 2022, the opportunity to take part in lung screening is yet to reach thousands of people across our region. We are pleased to see that the Government has reaffirmed its commitment to rolling out the programme by 2030, but in future measures like this need to be provided as soon as the benefits are clear. 

This additional funding is an excellent start but much more is needed to fully address the stark inequalities across cancer prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and research.  

Yorkshire Cancer Research hopes the National Cancer Plan will fully deliver on the commitment to reduce geographical inequalities and will set out the ambitious targets and sustained investment required from diagnosis through to rehabilitation.  

The charity looks forward to reviewing the full details of today’s commitments when the National Cancer Plan is published.