Families caring for children with cancer will no longer have to worry about how to afford travel to life-saving treatment, under a new government support package worth up to £10 million a year.
For parents, the moment a child is diagnosed with cancer, everything else fades into the background. Hospital appointments, treatments, long days on wards and endless waiting become part of daily life. Yet for many families across England, another quiet burden runs alongside the illness itself: the cost and exhaustion of travelling long distances to specialist cancer centres, sometimes several times a week, for months or even years.
More than a third of families with a child undergoing cancer treatment must travel over an hour to reach hospital. With only 13 specialist centres across England, long journeys are unavoidable for many, especially those living in rural areas, coastal communities or islands. Petrol costs, train fares, parking charges and lost income can quickly mount up, turning an already devastating situation into a financial crisis.
For families already struggling with the rising cost of living, these costs can force impossible choices, such as heating the home less or cutting back on food, just to make it to the next appointment. It is a reality that many migrant and diaspora families know too well, often without extended family nearby to share the load.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said that when a child is diagnosed with cancer, a family’s focus should be on recovery, not on whether they can afford the bus fare or petrol for hospital visits. He said the new support would ensure no family is left out of pocket while their child undergoes treatment, regardless of income, and that families should never have to fight the system while their child is fighting cancer.
Under the National Cancer Plan, the government will provide £10 million each year to fund travel costs for children and young people with cancer and their families. Crucially, the support will be available to everyone, not means-tested, ensuring families do not miss treatment or fall into debt simply because of where they live or what they earn.
The announcement reflects the experiences of families like Emma Wilding from West Lancashire, whose son Theo was diagnosed with Infant Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia at just five months old. With Alder Hey Children’s Hospital 45 minutes away, travel and parking costs quickly became overwhelming at a time when household income had already fallen. Emma says sitting on the ward, she met countless other families facing the same struggle, many travelling even further, and believes the new fund will ease a heavy burden for parents who simply want to be by their child’s side.
Alongside financial support, the government says it is taking wider action to transform cancer care for children and young people. Plans include improving hospital food, ensuring psychosocial care during treatment, expanding genomic testing, detecting cancers earlier, and improving the experience of children who need long hospital stays through play services and youth support coordinators.
Professor Peter Johnson, National Clinical Director for Cancer at NHS England, said that repeated long-distance travel adds pressure to families during the hardest moments of their lives. He said the new fund will ensure families no longer have to choose between being at their child’s bedside and covering the cost of getting there.
Mental health support will also be standardised for young cancer patients, recognising that the emotional impact of cancer can resurface long after treatment ends. The NHS food standards review will ensure young patients have access to nutritious, child-friendly meals, even outside traditional mealtimes.
Charities and advocacy groups have welcomed the announcement as a long-overdue step. Rachel Kirby-Rider, CEO of Young Lives vs Cancer, said families have been pushed into debt or missed treatment altogether because of travel costs averaging £250 a month. She said the new fund has the potential to transform lives and confirmed the charity is ready to work with the government to ensure it delivers real impact.
For young people like Victoria Ward, a cancer survivor from the Isle of Wight, travel costs were life-changing. Diagnosed with lymphoma at 21, she had to travel by ferry to Southampton for treatment, with return tickets sometimes costing up to £200. Forced to stop working and unable to keep up with both travel and housing costs, she eventually gave up her flat. Victoria says the new support means future patients will not have to face the same heartbreaking choices.
The travel fund is part of a broader National Cancer Plan that will be published imminently, setting out measures to improve early diagnosis, expand access to trials, support working-age cancer patients and strengthen services in rural and underserved areas. Since coming into office, the government says it has delivered five million extra NHS appointments and improved cancer diagnosis timelines for over 200,000 patients.
For families across the UK, including those in migrant and diaspora communities who often face additional financial and emotional pressures, the message is clear. When a child faces cancer, the system should stand beside the family, not add to their burden. At Chijos News, we will continue to follow how this promise turns into real-world support for the families who need it most.
