Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what Service Development Fund funding has been allocated to cancer for (a) NHS England and (b) Cancer Alliances, including both core and targeted allocations, in the 2026/27 financial year; and wha
Answer
As set out in our 10 Year Capital Plan, approximately £5 billion of capital will be invested to increase secondary and emergency care capacity, modernise facilities, and support service transformation over this Spending Review period. This will help drive the return to National Health Service constitutional waiting time standards and improve urgent and emergency care performance. The National Cancer Plan, published in February 2026, announced that £200 million in 2026 to 2027 has been ring fenced for Cancer Alliances to support them in making sustainable improvements to cancer delivery, as part of system development funding (SDF). Cancer SDF is comprised of two allocations: place-based, provided to all Cancer Alliances on a fair-shares basis for local population needs; and targeted, provided to Cancer Alliances for targeted projects, with amounts determined by agreed run rates. Cancer Alliances must demonstrate how their spending reduces disparities and improves access to care. Allocations for 2027/28 and 2028/29 remain subject to NHS England’s planning.
Verdict: RED (22/100)
The reply gives a headline figure of £200m for 2026/27, ring-fenced for Cancer Alliances, and describes the allocation types, so the second part of the question is partly answered. It does not give the split between core and targeted allocations that was asked for. It also gives no Service Development Fund allocation for cancer in NHS England for 2026/27: the only cancer figure it cites is for Cancer Alliances, and the capital statement concerns unrelated secondary care spending. The asker would likely need to follow up on both gaps.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What Service Development Fund funding has been allocated to cancer for NHS England in the 2026/27 financial year, including core and targeted allocations? | Not Addressed | Generic | No statement gives any Service Development Fund allocation to cancer for NHS England in 2026/27; the only cancer SDF figure (£200m) is for Cancer Alliances, and the capital statement (seq 1) concerns unrelated secondary care capital. |
| What Service Development Fund funding has been allocated to cancer for Cancer Alliances in the 2026/27 financial year, including core and targeted allocations? | Partially Addressed | Direct | The reply gives the headline 2026/27 figure of £200m ring-fenced for Cancer Alliances and describes the place-based and targeted allocation types, but it does not quantify the core versus targeted split the question asks for. |