Monday 25 February 2008

Healthy Communities Collaborative

‘promoting early presentation of cancer symptoms’

The Healthy Communities Collaborative has been launched in Salford to encourage people with cancer symptoms to seek medical help earlier.  The project aims to raise awareness of the early symptoms of breast, bowel and lung cancer, in the hope that people will present earlier at their GP practice.

The project originated from the NHS Plan, and is being rolled out across several sites across the country.  These communities have been identified by the Department of Health as being disadvantaged, with poorer than average health.  The project aims to meet the Department of Health target of reducing deaths by cancer by 20% by 2010.

Healthy communities bring different groups together, including local community members, professionals from the NHS, social services and voluntary sector.  It empowers them to work together to impact on the health of their local community. 

The project is running in three areas of Salford; Little Hulton, Ordsall & Langworthy, Irwell Riverside & Broughton.  Each team have regular team meetings where they work together to look at how they can take the message out into the communities.  Each team also works across their local area attending local community groups and events to raise awareness of these cancers. 

The signs and symptoms of the three cancers are described below:

Breast Cancer

• Changes in the size or shape or feel of the breast
• Lumps (any size) in the breast or armpit
• Longstanding pain in the breast
• Change in textures of skin on breast, orange peel effect on skin, or skin being pulled in
• Redness of skin
• Leaky or weeping nipple
• Changes in nipple shape (pulled in nipple)
• Itchy nipple

Bowel Cancer

• Persistent change in bowel habit such as going to the toilet more often or going less frequently, diarrhoea, constipation, different shaped stools
• Unexplained extreme tiredness
• Unexplained weight loss
• Unexplained anaemia
• Blood mixed with your stools
• Bleeding when straining

Lung Cancer

• Unexplained weight loss
• Persistent chest and / or shoulder pain
• Loss of voice
• Facial / neck swelling
• Persistent / changing cough
• Coughing up blood
• Breathlessness
• Feeling more tired than usual
• Recurrent chest infections

If anyone would like to know more about the project , knows groups that would be interested in an awareness session or would like to join one of the teams, please contact Vicky Halliwell, Healthy Communities Collaborative Project Manager on 0161 743 0088 or vickyhalliwell@chapltd.co.uk