What must the government do to save lives?
The government has the power to drastically improve treatment, care and survival for people with pancreatic cancer. Here’s how we believe they could do this.
We’re telling the government to prioritise pancreatic cancer
The government is yet to deliver on its promise to make England a world leader in cancer care. We won’t stop campaigning until pancreatic cancer gets the attention it deserves.
On World Cancer Day, February 2022, the government announced a ‘War on Cancer’ and launched a call for evidence to feed into a new 10-year cancer plan for England. We welcomed this as a huge opportunity to finally transform outcomes for people with pancreatic cancer.
But just one year on, the promised 10-year cancer plan was scrapped. The government said it would replaced it with a shorter term ‘Major Conditions Strategy’. This Major Conditions Strategy will tackle cancer alongside several other major conditions (including cardiovascular disease, dementia and mental health) making it more of a challenge to secure commitments specifically on pancreatic cancer.
But we’re rising to this challenge.
The government has published a report summarising responses to its 10-year plan consultation. This report will play a major role in shaping the content of its Major Conditions Strategy.
Thanks to hundreds of our incredible supporters who responded to the consultation pancreatic cancer is highlighted by the government over 20 times in the report as an area that needs urgent action – more than any other cancer.
We’re so proud of our amazing supporters for this achievement.
In July, the government launched the framework it will use to develop its Major Conditions Strategy. See how we responded.
Next, we’ll be keeping up the pressure to make sure that all this progress doesn’t go to waste and that the final strategy meets the needs of people affected by pancreatic cancer.
See what we’ve achieved together so far:
We influenced the 10-year plan
We worked hard on our submission to the government’s public Call for Evidence for the 10-year plan. In it is everything that needs to happen to drastically improve treatment, care and survival for people with pancreatic cancer in the next decade – from early diagnosis, to better treatment, to innovative research and holistic support and information. Find out what the government must do to save lives.
We also did a huge amount of influencing work behind the scenes to raise our voices in Government and the NHS.
Our supporters raised their voices
Over 200 of our amazing supporters also submitted their own evidence to feed into the Call for Evidence in summer 2022.
And a further 50 of you also responded to the government’s survey to feed into its Major Conditions Strategy in June 2023.
On top of that, more than 1000 of you emailed your MP about the plan, and 52,000 signed our No Time to Wait petition calling on the UK Governments to publish their cancer plans.
We spoke as One Cancer Voice
Just one year after launching its war on cancer, the government scrapped its new 10-year cancer plan and announced it was replacing this with a shorter term ‘Major Conditions Strategy’.
We were devastated by this U-turn. It seemed like all our amazing work together, to push for pancreatic cancer to be prioritised, had gone to waste.
So, we joined forces with 60 other charities, as part of the One Cancer Voice coalition, to demand better. More than 76,000 people signed our petition calling for an ambitious plan for cancer. You can see some of the coverage of the petition in the news.
Your voices were heard!
In May 2023 the government published a report summarising responses to its 10-year plan consultation. This report will play a major role in shaping the content of its Major Conditions Strategy.
And our voices were heard! Thanks to hundreds of our incredible supporters who responded to the consultation, and wrote to their MP, pancreatic cancer is highlighted time and again as an area that needs urgent action.
In fact pancreatic cancer is mentioned over 20 times – more than any other cancer!
The report includes our calls for:
- Dedicated funding for pancreatic cancer research
- Better support for patients with nutritional management, such as PERT
- National campaigns for greater awareness of the symptoms of pancreatic cancer.
We marched to Downing Street with One Cancer Voice
Rebecca Buggs, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, handing in the One Cancer Voice petition at No 10 Downing Street
Members of the One Cancer Voice coalition including Pancreatic Cancer UK handing in the petition at No 10 Downing Street
On the way to Downing Street
Members to the One Cancer Voice coalition joining together to demand better from the government
Pancreatic Cancer UK campaigners on College Green with the Houses of Parliament in the background
Supporter Rebecca Buggs with Jo and Emily from the Pancreatic Cancer UK campaigns team
See what we're calling for
We're influencing cancer strategies across the UK
We’re campaigning to put pancreatic cancer at the heart of cancer strategies across the UK.
Find out about our achievements in Scotland, and the latest on the Wales and Northern Ireland cancer plans.
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