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Cancer Improvement and Earlier Diagnosis Programme

Aim and Objective: To drive NHS Scotland’s ambition to diagnose Cancer earlier and faster, with a particular focus on later stage disease. This includes work to enhance diagnostics, improve public education, and invest in innovation and to support primary care.

Cancer Action Plan Development and National Reporting

  • Contribute to publication of second annual report for the Cancer Strategy (2023-33).
  • Regularly update key stakeholders on progress of the Cancer Action Plan (2023-2026) through the Quarterly progress report.
  • Develop next Cancer Action Plan (2026-2029).

Strategic Priorities: National reporting and strategic oversight; stakeholder engagement and collaboration.

Supporting Implementation of the Framework for Effective Cancer Management (FECM)

  • Continue to regularly meet with Board Cancer Management Teams to ensure the FECM is embedded supporting patients being diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible.
  • Where cancer pathway challenges are identified, explore potential for innovative solutions.
  • Identify, lead and support the sharing of best practice within Cancer services.
  • Carry out Board support visits as necessary.
  • Lead Cancer Performance Delivery Board (CPDB) and Boards to develop cancer backlog
    clearance plans.
  • Lead CPDB to develop a urological cancer improvement plan, including DCAQ analysis to
    understand services.
  • Link with relevant SDGs to ensure alignment of cancer improvements with clinical pathways.
  • Support boards to implement their cancer improvement plans.
  • Support Boards with development of additionality funding bids, including monitoring of Board progress and reporting activity to SG.
  • Support and appraise the development and delivery of Board Annual Delivery Plans (ADPs).

Strategic Priorities: Promoting and implementing sustainable solutions, improving quality and efficiency and stakeholder engagement and collaboration.

Lead Review of Cancer Waiting Times (CWT) Standards

  • Undertake full clinical review of cancer waiting times standards in Scotland, including initial scoping exercise, establishment of project group and a review of the current CWT Data and Definitions manual and waiting times adjustments.

Strategic Priorities:Data and evidence; National reporting and strategic oversight.

Detect Cancer Earlier (DCE) Programme

  • The Detect Cancer Earlier Programme includes 5 large-scale workstreams that will deliver key elements of the National Cancer Strategy, as set out below.

Public education/empowerment

  • Delivery of multi-faceted DCE communications strategy.
  • Implementation of DCE marketing, public relations and stakeholder engagement activity.
  • Evaluate “Be the Early Bird” campaign performance and use learning for continuous improvement.

Strategic Priority: Stakeholder engagement and collaboration

Diagnostics

  • Expand network of Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services (RCDS).
  • Collect and publish RCDS data via PHS.
  • Support implementation of optimal published cancer diagnostic pathways (lung, head and neck and colorectal).
  • Begin scoping work for next optimal diagnostic cancer pathway (exact pathway to be confirmed).
  • Carry out review of optimal diagnostic pathways as per review timetable.

Strategic Priority: Promoting and Implementing sustainable solutions, improving quality and efficiency, data and evidence and supporting workforce.

Demonstrating impact through Measurement and analysis

  • Engage with Health Boards to ensure complete, validated urgent suspicion of cancer (USC) referral data is available for PHS to publish.
  • Clarify proxy measures to support earlier diagnosis ambition (particularly for blood and brain cancers).
  • Support publication of routine cancer diagnosis through emergency presentation data by PHS.

Strategic Priorities: Data and evidence, Stakeholder engagement and collaboration, National reporting and strategic oversight.

Supporting Innovation

  • Continue to support potential national roll out of Chest X-Ray Artificial Intelligence
    project, including working with 2 test beds and supporting further evidence gathering.
    Project will go through an implementation development phase for 6 months with
    assessment by Innovation Design Authority in October 2026.
  • Review evidence from Cancer Research UK’s TET (Test, Evidence, Transition) projects
    in NHS Scotland and advise on wider adoption.
  • Provide advice to external key stakeholders and organisations, including the third sector, to help direct wider cancer innovation efforts undertaken in Scotland.

Strategic Priorities: Driving Health Technology and Innovation and Stakeholder engagement and collaboration.

Primary Care

Complete full clinical review of Scottish Referral Guidelines (SRGs) for Suspected
Cancer, including publication of revised guidelines and associated communication plan
and development of education workshops and resources.

Further explore the potential role for community pharmacists to support earlier diagnosis efforts.

Support roll-out of Gateway C education platform for primary care clinicians in Scotland.
Support Gateway C to update course content, in line with the new Scottish Referral
Guidelines

Strategic Priorities: Improving quality and efficiency; Promoting and implementing sustainable solutions.