Cancer awareness
Enfield Public Health, Enfield CCG and their partners, want to improve public awareness of cancers and early detection of symptoms to improve early diagnosis. Uptake of screening programmes can help spot cancer even before symptoms appear. Early detection and recognition of symptoms can lead to survival of cancer.
There are key signs to look out for:
- Blood - Unexplained blood that does not come from an obvious injury
- Lump - An unexplained lump
- Weight Loss - Unexplained weight loss, which feels significant to you
- Cough - A cough that doesn’t go away after 3 weeks
Spot signs of cancer early. If in doubt - check it out!
Finding cancer early makes it more treatable. Chances are it’s nothing serious, but if you notice any of these signs, tell your doctor.
You can find more information about cancer from the websites below:
Cancer screening
Cancer is the second biggest cause of deaths in Enfield. Identifying cancer early is very important as it increases the chances of survival.
There are 3 types of cancer screening for adults in England, and they save thousands of lives each year:
- Bowel cancer screening is offered to men and women aged 60 to 74 to detect early signs of bowel cancer
- Breast cancer screening is offered to women and transgender people with breast tissue aged 50 to 70 to detect early signs of breast cancer. Women aged 70 and over can self-refer.
- Cervical cancer screening is offered to women and transgender people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 to check the health of cells in the cervix. It is offered every 3 years between the ages of 26 and 49, and every 5 years between the ages of 50 and 64.
Bowel Cancer Screening Campaign
On Monday 16 October 2023, the NHS in England launched a phase of the ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign, which aims to encourage people living in London who are sent the NHS bowel cancer screening home test kit to complete and return it.
Campaign activity is targeting men and women aged 56 to 74, as these are these are the current eligible age groups being invited to complete the test in London.
The campaign is designed to increase the numbers of people completing the bowel cancer screening test by raising awareness that it can detect signs of cancer before they notice anything wrong and addressing the barriers preventing people from completing the test.
If you're aged 56 to 74, live in London and registered with a GP practice, you’ll be sent a kit in the post automatically, every two years. The kit is simple to complete and can be done in the privacy of your own bathroom using the step-by-step instructions on the box.
Even if you don’t have symptoms, it can detect signs of cancer before you do.
If you’re sent an NHS bowel cancer screening kit, put it by the loo. Don’t put it off.
If you would like more information, please visit: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-cancer-screening/.
More access to resource to promote the campaign, please visit: https://www.transformationpartners.nhs.uk/bcs/
To have a workshop for either staff or residents run by the Health Promotion Specialist at UCLH bowel screening centre, please contact vanessa.nzekwu@nhs.net
Please note: the workshop can only be offered between Monday-Friday and within work hours only. Workshops can be scheduled throughout the year and is dependent on capacity.