Why is cancer an important health issue for Lambeth Together?
One in two people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime. According to a report by the Office for National Statistics, cancers remain a leading cause of avoidable mortality (deaths defined as either preventable or treatable for people under 75 years).
In the UK it’s estimated that as many as 38% of cancers are preventable (2015), 15% of cancers are caused by smoking. And after smoking, obesity is the UK’s biggest cause of cancer (6%).
In Lambeth there are significant differences in cancer outcomes. For example almost four in ten adults (37%) in Coldharbour Ward die from cancer earlier than the national average. This stands in stark contrast to Clapham Common, where only 2% fall below the national trend. Our work in Lambeth will focus on reducing health inequality gaps in Lambeth.
Our current cancer priorities
We’re currently focusing on a number of initiatives with local partners:
- Funding for General Practice to run early cancer diagnosis screening and awareness events, with a focus on reducing health inequalities among communities who access screening the least
- Collaborating with the Indoamerican Refugee and Migrant Association (IMRO) and the Lambeth Somali Community Association to understand and address the barriers to bowel, breast, lung and cervical cancer screening. These charities will teach people about different types of cancer, find out why some people don’t get screened and help people access screening. The charities will support their communities through one-on-one help, running workshops in the community and helping people overcome the barriers that stop them from getting screened. This work is funded by the South East London Cancer Alliance.
- Increasing the uptake of the NHS bowel cancer screening text message initiative.
- Increasing participation in bowel cancer screening through The Catch 22 Lambeth Bowel Cancer Screening Project. The project employs staff who can speak a range of different languages and reaches out to people who haven’t taken up their screening invitation. The team provide personalised support and information to encourage them to do a screening test (aFaecal Immunochemical Test, or FIT kit).
- Funding two key events for Hills Brook & Dale Primary Care Network (HBD PCN) to organise and implement cancer screening awareness initiatives.
Useful links
Get involved with our work
To find out how you could work with us, complete our contact form.