UK will cover transport costs for children with cancer

Families of young people with a cancer diagnosis in England will have the costs of travelling to medical appointments covered under a new scheme due to come into effect by 2027.

The UK government has set aside a £10 million (nearly $14 million) financial support package to help support families with cancer patients aged up to 24, in light of data suggesting that more than a third of them have to travel for an hour or more to access cancer care.

It can be particularly burdensome if, for example, they need to make long and frequent journeys – sometimes several times a week – over months or even years, said the Department of Health and Social Care.

"When a child is diagnosed with cancer, their family's only focus should be on helping them recover and getting them well, not on whether they can afford the petrol or bus fare to get to their next appointment," said Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

"This small change will make the world of difference to parents," he added. "When a child is fighting cancer, their family should never have to fight the system too."

The fund will be open to all children and young people with cancer, regardless of their family's income, according to the DHSC.

One beneficiary of the funding will be Emma Wilding, whose son Theo was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in October 2024 when he was only five months old. Frequent trips to Alder Hey Hospital – which is 45 minutes away from their home – weighed heavily on the family in travel and parking costs.

"When Theo was going through treatment, we had no choice but to pay out for fuel and parking at the hospital, as we had to be by his side. However, at a time when our household income had gone down, this was a struggle financially," she said.

"Sat on the ward, I met so many other families also struggling with these costs, many travelling from much further away from hospital as well. I know this news is going to mean so much to young people and families of children with cancer, so they won't have to worry so much about how they'll afford to get to hospital."

The announcement of the funding comes a few months after new research revealed that up to 40% of people of all ages with cancer in the UK – 1.4 million patients – have struggled to access treatment or care because of where they live.

The data, compiled by Macmillan Cancer Support, found that cancer patients were burdened by long journeys, increased stress and exhaustion, and having to be 'in the right place, at the right time' to get the treatment they need.

The government said that the new funding is just one part of a programme to try to transform cancer care, including improving hospital food, ensuring medical psychosocial care during treatment, expanding genomic testing, and detecting cancers earlier when treatment is most effective.

Rachel Kirby-Rider, chief executive of Young Lives vs Cancer, which has campaigned for almost a decade for financial support of this kind, said some families have faced bills of £250 every month just to travel to appointments, driving some into debt and even resulting in missed treatment.

"Today's announcement of dedicated travel costs support is a huge step forward in transforming the lives of children and young people with cancer and their families," she added.

Photo by Matt Seymour on Unsplash