A report from the Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance highlights how partnerships with the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector are helping to raise awareness of cancer, increase screening uptake and reduce inequalities across the region.
The Community Partnerships Impact Report 2023–2025 showcases the difference that community-led approaches can make in supporting people to recognise the signs and symptoms of cancer, access screening programmes and make informed choices about their health and wellbeing.
Since the initiative began, Community Partnerships has delivered more than 200 projects through grassroots groups and organisations across Cheshire and Merseyside. Social Action Leads, working alongside Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) partners in each Place, have facilitated over 48,000 interactions within local communities, with 89 per cent of projects and engagement taking place in areas ranked among the most deprived in the country.
The report highlights how trusted relationships and locally tailored approaches are helping to reach people who may otherwise face barriers to accessing healthcare services. Initiatives featured in the report include improving cancer awareness among people with learning disabilities, increasing cervical screening uptake through women’s community groups, and empowering further education students to become Cancer Awareness Ambassadors.
Importantly, the work is contributing to wider efforts to improve outcomes across the region. Since the initiative’s inception, and alongside other programmes of work, early diagnosis rates in Cheshire and Merseyside have improved from being significantly below the England average in 2019 to slightly above the national average in 2024.
Jon Hayes, Managing Director of the Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance, said:
“This work has shown that communities themselves hold many of the solutions to improving health outcomes. By investing in relationships and supporting grassroots organisations, we’ve created a model that not only promotes earlier diagnosis of cancer but leaves a lasting legacy of stronger, healthier communities.”
Professor Ian Ashworth, Director of Population Health for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and member of the Cancer Alliance Programme Board, said:
“This report demonstrates the power of meeting people where they are. By working alongside trusted community organisations, we are helping to tackle inequalities, improve awareness of cancer signs and symptoms, and encourage more people to take up screening opportunities.
“Prevention and early diagnosis are central to improving outcomes, and this work shows what can be achieved when public health, the NHS and the voluntary sector work together.”
The report also highlights the potential for the Community Partnerships model to inform future approaches to prevention and reducing health inequalities beyond cancer, demonstrating the value of strong partnerships between the NHS, local authorities, the voluntary sector and communities themselves.
The Community Partnerships Impact Report 2023–2025 celebrates the dedication of Social Action Leads, CVS partners and the many community organisations that have worked together to improve awareness, encourage earlier diagnosis and support better outcomes for local people.
Read the full report to find out more. You can also see this work brought to life by some of our Social Action Leads and community groups in the Community Partnerships programme video.
