The Department of Health and Social Care announced a reformed National Cancer Board whose first meeting was held on 21 September 2026, according to the press release of that date. The board is to scrutinise progress against more than 100 commitments in the National Cancer Plan, published in February 2026, covering early diagnosis, treatment and quality of life. It is to identify areas falling behind and advise ministers on further action.

Independent co-chair Anita Charlesworth leads the board with Mark Cubbon of NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care. Dedicated expert leads were named for rare cancers including brain tumours (Dr Rob Metcalf), inequalities in cancer care (Dr Dianne Addei) and children's and young people's cancers (Ashley Ball-Gamble). The board is to meet quarterly and publish an annual progress assessment, with a more detailed review after three years.

The release said all 3 cancer standards were better than a year earlier and that around 250,000 more people over the past year had been diagnosed on time or had cancer ruled out, compared with the year before the election. It restated the plan's ambition for 3 in 4 people diagnosed with cancer to be cancer-free or living well 5 years after diagnosis by 2035.