October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer and Screening Coordinators across Cheshire and Merseyside have been attending events throughout the month speaking to local people to raise awareness of breast cancer.
In East Cheshire and Stockport, Breast Screening Coordinator Sara Clarke employed by East Cheshire NHS Trust has been engaging with local people through town centres, charity events, GP practices, hospitals and businesses.
In a visit to Stepping Hill hospital, Sara engaged with more than 30 people face-to-face with many of them taking away leaflets and information to pass on to their teams.
Sara also visited one of the biggest employers within the East Cheshire area, AstraZeneca delivering health promotion and engaging with more than 30 women, encouraging them to check their breasts.
In Mid Cheshire, Breast Screening Coordinator Lloyd Downing also employed by East Cheshire NHS Trust has been engaging with care-coordinators and practice managers from GP practices in Northwich and Holmes Chapel to promote breast screening and the importance of checking your breasts.
Discussions have included using the individual practices’ social media pages and text messaging services to remind people about appointments.
Lloyd also teamed up with Jake Cole, Cheshire’s Bowel Cancer Screening Coordinator employed by Mid Cheshire NHS Foundation Trust, to highlight the importance of cancer screening as a whole at Alsager Library.
In Warrington, Halton, St Helens and Knowsley, Breast Screening Coordinator Jen Doyle who is based in Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been working across the area encouraging those eligible to attend breast screening appointments when invited.
Activities have included Breast Awareness events, including a tombola and other competitions at Golden Square Shopping Centre, Warrington; Shopping City, Runcorn; Warrington Hospital; Halton Hospital and the Captain Sir Tom Moore Building; coffee afternoon with the Womens’ Institute in Newton-le-Willows and a market stall at a Social Inclusion and Diversity Networking Event in St Helens.
Speaking to the Warrington Guardian, a spokesperson for Cheshire & Merseyside Cancer Alliance (CMCA) and the local NHS said: “It is vital that people are aware of the importance of early diagnosis through screening and we would urge them attend their appointment when invited, even as we continue to deal with the impact of Covid-19.
“Cancer screening plays a key role in detecting disease early so treatment is easier and more effective. CMCA is helping to increase the uptake of breast screening through a range of measures, including awareness raising and working closely with local Directors of Public Health, who work together as the Champs Public Health Collaborative, to establish a team of breast screening coordinators in centres across the region.”
Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Screening Coordinators also recently met with representatives from Cancer Research UK (CRUK) to discuss collaborative working, CRUK’s facilitators programme, Primary Care service specifications for screening and how to work together to improve screening uptake.
New Bowel Cancer Screening Coordinator joins team
Huda Diab employed by Royal Liverpool University Hospital has been appointed to the role of Bowel Cancer Screening Coordinator, joining six other local Cancer Screening Coordinators dedicated to improving the uptake of screening appointments.
Huda’s role is part of a new innovative project to improve screening uptake for breast, bowel and cervical screening. It has been funded by the Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance through its NHS Transformation Funding and is led and managed by the Champs Public Health Collaborative, with strategic support from NHS England and NHS Improvement and Public Health England.
Huda is working across Liverpool and Wirral to encourage those eligible for bowel cancer screening by sharing information and engaging directly with local people to answer their questions and support people throughout their screening journey.
She commented: “I applied for this role as I’m passionate about the healthcare of others and reducing their risk of developing cancer in the future. I care about improving quality of life and overcoming health inequalities within communities.”
If you would like to contact Huda to learn more about bowel cancer screening or support her work, please telephone 0151 7064980 or email: huda.diab@liverpoolft.nhs.uk
To find out more about Cheshire and Merseyside’s Cancer Screening Improvement Project, please visit:
