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We are helping our key partner NHS Bromley, to promote cervical cancer awareness.
Part of European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week 2012, which runs from 22 to 28 January, and is a reminder that regular screening is one of the most important ways in which you can help to prevent the disease.
In Bromley, the NHS public health team are organising an awareness campaign to coincide with the week. This will include information stands in two local supermarkets, where there will be health advisers on hand to answer any questions which shoppers have about cervical cancer prevention, and will be more than happy to give advice to both men and women.
The information stands will be at:
- Tesco in Orpington on Monday 23 and Friday 27 January from 10am to 4pm
- Sainsbury's in Locksbottom on Thursday 26 January from 10am to 4pm
Although cervical cancer is preventable if picked up early through effective screening, many women still know little about the symptoms and what to look out for. For the NHS in Bromley, reducing the number of cervical cancer cases and increasing the number of cervical tests being taken up by women aged 25 to 64-years-old are key priorities. In Bromley each year, on average 4 women will die from cervical cancer (Data source: Compendium, NHS Information Centre 2005 - 2009). However, many women are successfully treated but the disease needs to be identified as early as possible. The best way to do this is through cervical screening.
Dr Angela Bhan, Director of Public Health in Bromley, said: "Women in Bromley need to know that cervical cancer is a preventable disease. Having regular cervical tests at your GP practice offers the best protection against it.
"NHS cervical cancer screening is quick and free, and you will be contacted when you are due for a test. If you've missed a recent test, don't worry. Just contact your GP and arrange another."
Women aged between 25 and 49-years-old are invited to have a cervical test at their GP surgery every three years, and women aged between 50 and 64-years-old, every five years.
ENDS
- For media enquiries, please contact Joanna Nurse, Media Relations Manager for NHS South East London, at Joanna.nurse@nhs.net or on 0203 049 3873.
- Notes to editors -
Since 1 April 2011, NHS Bromley, the primary care trust for Bromley, has been part of NHS South East London. NHS South East London is a partnership of Primary Care Trusts in Bromley, Greenwich , Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark and Bexley Care Trust. - Under the proposed Health and Social Care Bill, local authorities will take lead responsibility for improving public health and well being. Working with key health partners and those in the voluntary sector, these responsibilities will be taken up in full from April 2013. In advance of this, Bromley Council and its key partners are developing a joint health and wellbeing strategy to identify the health needs of the people of Bromley and to provide for the integration of local commissioning strategies to meet those needs.
- To find out more about preventing cervical cancer, go to the website www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/cervical
- European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week is a Europe-wide campaign run by the European Cervical Cancer Association. The ECCA launched the European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week in 2007 to raise awareness of cervical cancer and how it can be prevented among:
a. the women of Europe so they will learn what they need to do to avoid this disease and access the services where they are available,
b. the politicians and public health officials of Europe so they understand the benefits of prevention programmes and prioritise their implementation where they are not available.
c. For more information about the campaign, please go to www.ecca.info/campaigns.html
