The first meeting of the National Cancer Board will scrutinise progress against more than 100 commitments in the National Cancer Plan. It will have dedicated expert leads, building on the government’s progress to improve cancer care.
Expert cancer board to scrutinise progress on faster diagnosis, treatment and care
People with rare cancers, children and young people to have dedicated national voices
CCLG Chief Executive Ashley Ball-Gamble is the Board's lead for children and young people's cancers
People with cancer will benefit from stronger national leadership to improve diagnosis, treatment and care, as the reformed National Cancer Board meets for the first time today (21 September 2026).
It will scrutinise progress against more than 100 commitments in the National Cancer Plan – including early diagnosis, treatment and quality of life - identifying which areas are falling behind and advising ministers on where further action is needed to ensure every patient receives the best possible care.
The board will have dedicated expert leads for rare cancers, including brain tumours, children and young people with cancer, and inequalities in cancer care.
It builds on the government’s progress to improve cancer care, with all three cancer standards better than a year ago and around 250,000 more people over the last year getting diagnosed on time or having cancer ruled out.
The Board's dedicated lead for children and young people is Ashley Ball-Gamble, Chief Executive of CCLG. He said:
I am pleased that children and young people’s cancer will have a dedicated representative on the reformed National Cancer Board and am honoured to have been asked to step into this role.Ashley Ball-Gamble, CCLG Chief Executive
CCLG Chief Executive Ashley Ball-Gamble presenting at CCLG's Annual Conference
"I look forward to building on the work of the Children and Young People's Cancer Taskforce and supporting the implementation of the National Cancer Plan, particularly the recommendations for children and young people with cancer, scrutinising progress and ensuring that the commitments made are fully implemented."
Dr Sara Stoneham, Chair, CCLG: The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association and consultant paediatric and TYA oncologist said:
"Following the welcome inclusion of a specific children and young people’s chapter and recommendations in the National Cancer Plan, we are pleased that the reformed National Cancer Board will include a dedicated expert lead for children and young people’s cancer.
"This important appointment will support the implementation and delivery of the children and young people’s recommendations in the National Cancer Plan, and scrutinise progress towards achieving the vital progress needed for young cancer patients and their families."
We look forward to continuing to work with partners in government and the NHS, charities and the wider children and young people’s cancer community to ensure these ambitions become a realityDr Sara Stoneham, CCLG Chair
Ashley had previously been a part of the Children and Young People's Cancer Taskforce, a collaborative effort which lead to the establishment of the National Cancer Plan in February 2026. As the chair of a dedicated charity subgroup, Ashley brought together key voices from across the Children & Young People’s Cancer Coalition, including Young Lives vs Cancer, Teenage Cancer Trust, Cancer Research UK, Solving Kids’ Cancer, Alice’s Arc and Alike.
CCLG's early diagnosis campaign Child Cancer Smart was also included as a case study in the Cancer Plan.
You can read more in the Department of Health and Social Care's press release.
