NHS England launches `Reducing cancer barriers' campaign

Today, Monday 4 September, NHS England is re-launching the ‘Reducing cancer barriers' phase of the ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign. 

The aim of the campaign is to encourage people who are experiencing potential signs of cancer to contact their GP practice to help increase earlier diagnosis and improve outcomes.

It is designed to address the key barriers to people seeking help, the fear around cancer diagnosis and the importance of body awareness when it comes to bodily changes that could be a sign of cancer.

The NHS Long Term Plan included the ambition to increase the proportion of cancers detected detected early (at stage one or two) from around half to three quarters by 2028. When cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, treatment is more likely to be successful. Referrals for suspected cancer have been running at record high levels since March 2021, and we likely need to continue that trend to diagnose more cancers early.

The campaign will target men and women over the age of 50, and from C2DE socio-economic groups as these people are most likely to experience a cancer diagnosis, including Black and South Asian audiences, who are already at risk of health inequalities. It will also target friends and family members to ensure they encourage loved ones to contact their GP practice if they are worried something could be cancer.

The campaign will run in England across TV, catch-up TV services, online video, community radio and social media supported by PR and partnerships activity. The campaign also includes bespoke communications for multicultural and disabled audiences.

This phase of the ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign will run from 4 September until 15 October. It will precede another phase of the campaign on lung cancer symptoms, which will run from 18 September until 22 October.