What is Personalised Care
Around 1 in 2 people born today will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime. At present, 60% of people who receive a cancer diagnosis live for at least 5 years – a figure that, upon successful implementation of this plan, will increase to 75%, as detailed in the National Cancer Plan for England.
Personalised care gives people the same choice and control over their mental and physical health they have come to expect in every other aspect of their life.
Personalised care helps a range of people, from those with long term illness and complex needs through to people managing mental health issues or struggling with social issues which affect their health and wellbeing. It helps them make decisions about managing their health so they can live the life they want to live based on what matters to them, working alongside clinical information from the professionals who support them.
This is in response to a one-size-fits-all health and care system that simply cannot meet the increasing complexity of people’s needs and expectations. Evidence shows that people will have better experiences and improved health and wellbeing if they can actively shape their care and support.
The National Cancer Plan for England published in February 2026 talks about the need to modernise our approach to on-going cancer care so that it:
- fits around people’s lives
- is personalised to each person’s individual needs
- offers real control and choice
- is seamlessly coordinated
- happens conveniently and close to where people live
- is holistic, dynamic and able to draw on the non-clinical interventions necessary to tackle health inequalities.
It also makes the following commitments:
- We will drive up quality of life for people living with cancer. By shifting more cancer care out of hospital and into local neighbourhoods, we will be there for the ever-growing number of people who are recovering after their treatment or who are living with cancer as a long-term condition. This will enable many more people to get on with their lives, confident in the backstop that the NHS provides in case of complications
- Every patient will get a personalised assessment of their needs and a personal cancer plan – a complete support plan complementing their diagnosis and treatment, and focusing on their wider physical, mental health and social needs, including employment support
- Every patient will have a named neighbourhood care lead to co-ordinate their care and support after treatment.
Personalised Care Interventions
Personalised Care Support Tools are a series of interventions designed to support cancer patients from their diagnosis, through treatment and beyond, to enable the best possible clinical and personal outcomes from their experience.
Outlined below are the four key elements for embedding personalised care:
- Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA) – Every patient will be offered a personalised assessment (HNA) of their needs at the point of diagnosis often with the help of their clinical nurse specialist or with another member of their hospital or primary care team
- Personalised Care and Support Plan (PCSP) – the HNA informs the PCSP which is a complete support plan covering not just treatment, but also wider physical and mental health needs and social needs, such as employment and financial support
- End of Treatment Summary (EOTS) – at the end of treatment, every cancer patient will receive an EOTS this will also be shared with the patients GP. The EOTS should include a detailed summary of treatment completed, potential side effects, signs and symptoms of recurrence and contact details to address any concerns
- Health and Wellbeing Information and Support.