We are delighted to announce that the National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre (NATCAN) has secured a two-year extension to its contract, continuing the delivery of national cancer audits through to September 2027.
This extension enables us to build on the strong foundations laid since our establishment in October 2022.
We are grateful to all our partners including professional bodies, clinical teams, data providers, patient representatives and people with lived experience of cancer with whom we collaborate. Also, our funders, NHS England and the Welsh Government, and our commissioner, HQIP, for their support. Together, we will continue to drive improvements in cancer care and outcomes England and Wales.
NATCAN’s future direction will focus on several key developments:
- Roll-out of Quality Improvement (QI) Interventions and Evaluations: This Autumn, each of the ten audits will implement a QI intervention. This is led by Ajay Aggarwal, Clinical Director, supported by Sugeeta Sukumar, QI Clinical Fellow, and the QI Working Group.
- Data Quality Initiatives: Working in collaboration with the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), we will develop initiatives aiming to improve the quality and completeness of cancer data.
- New Website Launching this Autumn 2025: A redesigned NATCAN website, with all ten audits under one roof. This will provide easier access to audit findings, patient resources, and interactive data dashboards.
- Centre-Level PPI Forum: We are establishing a new Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) forum with an overarching approach across all cancer audits to complement the existing audit-specific forums. This will ensure that the voice of people with lived experience of cancer continues to shape our strategic direction.
- Revamped Data Dashboards: Building on the feedback received on our initial dashboards, we will roll out enhanced, interactive dashboards across all audits from October 2025. The development of these dashboards is iterative, and we welcome feedback from our users.
- Quarterly Reporting in Wales: We are preparing to introduce quarterly data reporting in Wales by 2027, aligning with the availability of more frequent dataflows following implementation of the new cancer informatics system by NHS Wales.
‘We are absolutely delighted that funding for NATCAN has been extended for a further two years. This continued support is a testament to the vital role our work plays in improving cancer care across England and Wales, reflecting the hard work and dedication of our multidisciplinary national audit teams who contribute their time, expertise, and passion. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our audit teams and our clinical, academic, professional, and civil society partners, including people with lived experience of cancer who inform all of our work. We look forward to building on our achievements and working together to deliver high-quality, impactful audits that drive meaningful change in cancer care’.
Julie Nossiter, Director of Operations