On 4 February 2026 (World Cancer Day), the Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) and the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust launched a local implementation of the national cancer plan in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. The strategy aims that, by 2035, three in four people diagnosed with cancer will be cancer-free or “living well” five years after diagnosis.
Local health partners say the strategy will shift testing and awareness work out of traditional hospital settings and into community locations — including high‑street pop-up clinics and the Urban Room in Queen Square — to make it easier for residents to access checks and advice in community settings and reduce reliance on hospital appointments. The Black Country ICB describes community engagement projects and awareness sessions targeting areas with lower screening uptake.
The plan also includes a multi‑year digital transformation led by Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. That programme — which the trust says will deliver patient portals, real‑time dashboards and decision‑support tools — is intended to support care across services, including patients treated at New Cross Hospital, and to help track recovery and identify risks earlier. The trust published its digital strategy and clinical strategy setting out these ambitions in late 2025.
National reporting by the BBC, Sky News and The Guardian notes that the government’s 10‑year National Cancer Plan sets a target for 75% of cancer patients to be cancer‑free or “living well” five years after diagnosis by 2035, backed by a multibillion‑pound package of investment. In Wolverhampton the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is leading the local work on mental health and rehabilitative support as part of a partnership with the Black Country ICB and Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust to deliver the “living well” survivorship elements of the plan.
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