Dr Prun Bijral, Medical Director
Change Grow Live was proud to contribute to the Government’s consultation on the development of a new National Cancer Plan, which closed in April 2025. This is a crucial opportunity to shape a long-term vision for cancer prevention, treatment and care across England.
Drug and alcohol services play an important and often overlooked role in reducing cancer risk and tackling health inequalities. Our contribution highlighted this, and reflected the views of the people who access our services, and those who work in them.
Tobacco and alcohol are two of the leading preventable causes of cancer in the UK. Smoking alone is responsible for 14% of all cancer cases and 25% of all cancer deaths. Meanwhile, alcohol is linked to at least seven types of cancer and 12,800 people are diagnosed with alcohol-related cancer each year in the UK. Together, they place enormous strain on individuals, communities and the NHS. In England, alcohol-related harm costs the NHS over £4.9 billion every year, while smoking-related medical treatment adds £1.8 billion to annual health costs.
Despite the clear evidence of harm, we continue to see a significant treatment gap. More than 600,000 people in England are dependent on alcohol, yet just 135,000 accessed treatment services in 2023/24. This means more than three-quarters of people living with alcohol dependence do not receive the help they need. At the same time, around 70% of the people who access our services are active smokers. This is significantly higher than the general population, indicating an elevated cancer risk among the people we support day to day.
Our consultation response welcomed the Government’s renewed focus on prevention, but called for more ambitious action to address alcohol and tobacco use.
Universal policies like minimum unit pricing and improved labelling are helpful, but they are not enough on their own. People living with a dependence need targeted, accessible, inclusive and effective treatment to reduce their risk and improve their health outcomes.
We emphasised the importance of tackling inequalities as a central pillar of the cancer plan. People in the most deprived communities are more likely to be dependent on alcohol and tobacco, and less likely to access help.
Services like ours, rooted in local communities and built on trust, are well placed to reach people who are most at risk and least likely to engage with traditional health services.
At Change Grow Live, we support over 200,000 people each year through more than 250 services across England and Scotland. Our offer includes alcohol and drug treatment, smoking cessation, psychosocial interventions, and wider holistic support. We help people reduce their dependence and take control of their health, ultimately lowering their long-term cancer risk.
We’re proud to work in partnership with the NHS, local authorities and Government to reduce the burden of cancer. This consultation is an opportunity to show how services like ours can be part of the solution – helping prevent disease, reduce inequalities, and create a healthier future for all.