General Election 2024: What we need from the next UK Government

Our key asks for the next government in Westminster 

Teenage Cancer Trust is calling on the next government to improve the lives and outcomes of teenagers and young adults with cancer.  

Every day, seven young people aged 13-24 hear the words ‘you have cancer.’ By 2030 that number will be closer to 10.  

Our asks below will help us to achieve our ambition that by 2040, young people with cancer in the UK will have the best outcomes and quality of life in the world. 

Read our full briefing that we have shared with political parties here.

What are we asking the next government to do?   

Cancer Strategy 

We are joining other cancer charities in calling for the next government to publish a new long-term cancer strategy in England to improve outcomes for people who have cancer. 

Evidence shows that countries who have a long-term cancer strategy are more effective in improving cancer outcomes.  

It is vital that any new strategy includes a dedicated focus on the unique needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer and actions to improve their outcomes.  

We would like any future cancer strategy to take action in the following areas:  

Clinical Trials 

Our recent report on clinical trials showed that too many young people aged 13-24 are facing barriers to accessing clinical trials, meaning they are missing out on new treatments that could increase their chances of survival.   

The next government must ensure that teenagers and young adults with cancer have access to life saving clinical trials. 

Mental Health 

Mental health support for young people with cancer is a postcode lottery, leaving many young people unable to access the right level of support during their treatment.  

The next government needs to ensure that the system is properly funded and every teenager and young adult with cancer can access specialist psychological support from when they are diagnosed, and for a minimum of two years after their treatment.  
 
To achieve this, funding must be available to increase the number of specialist psychologists. 

Faster Diagnosis 

Many young people have to visit their GP multiple times before they are diagnosed with cancer. This is because cancer in this age group is quite rare and health professionals may not see many cases of teenagers and young adults who have cancer.  

As well as this, the signs and symptoms of cancer in young people can be similar and mistaken for other conditions such as growing pains or infections. This can make it more difficult to get a diagnosis.  

The next government must take action to ensure that teenagers and young adults are diagnosed faster.  

Fertility 

Some cancer treatments can affect fertility. It is important that teenagers and young adults who want to – and who are able to – have access to services so they can preserve their fertility.   

Even after you have had fertility preservation (like freezing your eggs, sperm or reproductive tissue), the cost of storing it – and who pays for storing it – varies widely in England. 

We are urging the next government to commit to further research to understand the scale of the issue and ensure that teenagers and young adults with cancer are offered appropriate treatment to preserve their fertility.  

Data  

Teenagers and young adults are often forgotten about or overlooked when national data is collected to better understand people’s experiences and outcomes of cancer.  
 

We want the next government to commit to ensuring that good quality, timely data for teenagers and young adults is readily available, to understand more about the unique issues that young people face around getting a diagnosis, their treatment and their outcomes.  

Workforce 

We know that young people with cancer have better outcomes when they are treated in an environment that’s appropriate for their age and when they are supported by specialist staff.  

In 2023, the first NHS Long Term Work plan was published, setting out how the NHS will address existing staff vacancies. It also shows how it aims to meet the challenges of a growing and aging population, by recruiting and retaining more staff, and working in new ways. 

We want the next government to ensure that future planning for the NHS workforce provides much-needed detail about how capacity within cancer care will be increased, and to ensure there is a specialist workforce available to treat teenagers and young adults with cancer. 

Why our calls are so important 

Cancer kills more teenagers and young adults in the UK than any other disease, and it is vital that young people’s voices are heard when decisions are made about their care.  

This is why Teenage Cancer Trust is calling on the next government to take action to address the unique needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer.