Labour’s bid to end cancer postcode lottery will only succeed if it recognises 3 things | UK | News

If you want to see why ending the cancer postcode lottery can’t wait, don’t look to Westminster. Look to the working quay in North Shields, where Macmillan Cancer Support stood this week alongside fishermen who will face a higher risk of cancer simply because of where they live and work. This is just one example of Britain’s cancer divide, and it must be closed.

Communities like these are exactly why the government’s commitment to end the cancer lottery matters. And why the imminent National Cancer Plan for England must deliver meaningful change for people who have too often been left behind. Fishing communities often face stark cancer inequalities. As outdoor workers, they have increased exposure to the sun, which can increase the risks of skin cancers, and they may also be exposed to chemicals with carcinogenic properties while at sea.

In north-east England, manual workers are also more likely to smoke than those in other occupations. Fishing communities are often in areas of higher deprivation, and official statistics show that average cancer survival rates are lower and death rates are higher in the most deprived areas of the UK.

At Macmillan, we see the impact of this every day. When cancer is diagnosed late, treatment options can be more limited and outcomes may be worse. People can feel isolated not only by their diagnosis, but by geography: far from hospitals, support services and even others who share their experience.

That’s why policy reform must be matched by action rooted in communities themselves. In North Shields, Macmillan is working with partners like The Fishermen’s Mission C-Aware project to reduce cancer stigma and ensure people can access support that works for them.

Rather than expecting people to navigate complex systems or travel long distances, the project brings cancer awareness into trusted local spaces, led by people who understand the realities of life at sea.

Through trained Cancer Community Champions – including active, former and retired fishermen and their families – we aim to reduce cancer stigma, improve awareness of cancer signs and symptoms, and encourage earlier engagement with screening and health services.

These conversations don’t happen in clinics; they happen on quaysides, in harbours and where trust already exists.

One of those champions is Paul Watson, a North Shields fishmonger who has been through cancer himself and is now in remission. Paul uses his own experience to talk openly about skin cancer and sun safety. Already, those conversations are making a difference: one fisherman diagnosed early, another reassured with an all-clear after a mole check.

This is what early detection looks like in practice.

The Government’s commitment to end the cancer postcode lottery, including investment in cancer specialists, new national standards and fairer rollout of diagnostic technologies, is a welcome step.

But it will only succeed if it recognises that inequity is about access, trust and whether people feel able to seek help at all.

The National Cancer Plan for England is a vital opportunity to change outcomes for the better. To succeed, it must prioritise communities who have historically faced the worst outcomes. That means investing not only in hospitals and technology, but in partnerships with communities and the voluntary sector.

Cancer care isn’t fair right now. Calling it a “postcode lottery” suggests it’s down to luck, but it isn’t.

The care people receive depends all too often on who they are, where they live, and whether the system has ever truly served their community.

With the right focus, proper sustainable investment, and partnership with communities that have been overlooked for too long, we can change the story. If the National Cancer Plan for England delivers on its promises, we can start to close these gaps and build a future where everyone, wherever they live, has the same chance to get the best care.