Overview
- Families of patients under 25 receiving cancer treatment will be reimbursed for petrol, parking and public transport costs, with no means test.
- The pledge is part of a National Cancer Plan that also sets out standardised mental-health support, improved play provision, earlier diagnosis, expanded genomic testing and better access to clinical trials.
- Charities Young Lives vs Cancer and the Teenage Cancer Trust welcomed the move, saying it could prevent missed treatment and improve access to wider support.
- Families typically spend about £250 a month on travel, more than a third travel over an hour to hospital, and around 4,000 children and young people are diagnosed each year.
- Operational details remain to be decided, including any per-family cap, how to apply and when the scheme starts, with one report indicating a rollout in England by 2027.