Doctor from Embarrassing Bodies to visit Blackburn to talk about cancer signs
A doctor from Embarrassing Bodies will be visiting a town centre to give passers-by expert advice about cancer signs.
On Monday (February 6), a bus of NHS staff and Cancer Research UK nurses will be giving give expert advice to people in Blackburn about the signs and symptoms of the disease.
The bus will be parked at the town hall square between 10am and 4pm.
The experts, including NHS doctor and Embarrassing Bodies presenter Dr Dawn Harper at certain points, will also be able to chat about the importance of earlier diagnosis and where people can go for support or further advice.
After visiting Blackburn on Monday, the bus will move on to Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, Barnsley in South Yorkshire and Leicester before completing the tour in London on Friday, February 10.
Dr Harper said: “We know that cancers are more likely to be treated successfully if caught at an early stage and that’s why the NHS Bus-ting Cancer Tour is so important to spread the word far and wide and encourage people with potential signs of cancer to come forward.
“Body vigilance is absolutely crucial – if something in your body doesn’t feel right, contact your GP practice. The NHS is here and wants to see you.”
The blue NHS cancer bus will be touring the country, starting in Blackburn (Image: Freud Plus)
The bus tour follows awareness campaigns which have seen more people receive potentially lifesaving NHS cancer checks, with more than 2.8 million people seen last year.
This is up from 2.35 million in the same period before the pandemic, in 2018/2019.
NHS England said this had a direct impact on the number of people diagnosed with cancer – with more than 320,000 people receiving treatment for cancer in the year to October 2022.
This was the highest number on record, and up by more than 8,000 in the same period pre-pandemic.
The words “‘65 out of 78 passengers on this bus would survive cancer if caught at the earliest stage” will appear on the side of the bus, from Stagecoach, which is backing the campaign.
The figure is based on cancer stage one five-year survival statistics.
