Fixing today, building tomorrow. Event held in partnership with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Event supported by Macmillian Cancer Support.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd (Novartis) has fully funded this non-promotional initiative, as part of their 2026 corporate partnership with The King’s Fund. Novartis has contributed to topics included, with The King’s Fund owning the final decision and delivery of content. All activities owned and delivered by Novartis are clearly declared separately.

Lord Darzi’s independent investigation (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-investigation-of-the-nhs-in-england/summary-letter-from-lord-darzi-to-the-secretary-of-state-for-health-and-social-care) into the NHS in England delivered a stark assessment of cancer care. Highlighting the gap between policy and reality., (https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/blogs/national-cancer-plan-for-england) it found that the NHS is failing to meet some of its most important commitments, with core cancer waiting time standards missed for more than a decade and survival rates lagging behind comparable countries.

The government’s 10-year National Cancer Plan for England (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-cancer-plan-for-england) sets out bold ambitions to improve survival, boost early diagnosis, and deliver more equitable, patient-centred care. With ambitious targets set for 2029 and 2035 (https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/blogs/ten-tests-ensure-cancer-plan-improves-lives), the key question remains: can the NHS deliver these commitments while still fixing today’s pressures?

At this pivotal moment, leaders across the health and care system face the challenge of building cancer services that are not only fit for today, but ready to adopt the next wave of innovation. (https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/long-reads/delivering-national-cancer-plan-innovation-ready-services) Progress is already visible in areas, but translating national ambition into consistent, real-world improvement for patients will require co-ordinated action across the system.

This conference brings together leaders from cancer alliances, policy, clinical services, commissioning, and the VCSE sector to explore what is working, and what must change, to turn plans into practice.

Across the day sessions will explore:

Why progress in cancer care can stall in practice, from access to funding and capacity, and what it takes to turn policy and approval into real-world delivery.

How systems can redesign services and make difficult prioritisation decisions to deliver high-quality, equitable care within existing constraints.

What it will take to improve patient experience and outcomes while adopting innovation at pace across the system.

This event is held in partnership with Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd (https://www.novartis.com/).

This event is supported by Macmillan Cancer Support (https://www.macmillan.org.uk/).

Description supplied by the event organiser.