Ministers promising better support around breast cancer
A new 'Women's Health Strategy' promises to streamline access to clear and trusted expert advice across the UK
Minister's are promising women will be better supported to spot signs of breast cancer and know where to turn for help.
The Department of Health and Social Care and Breast Cancer Now is partnering up to help deliver the Government's 'Renewed Women’s Health Strategy'.
It's promising this will help women build confidence around checking, while also making trusted post-treatment information more accessible.
Healthcare workers will also get extra training, alongside a practical toolkit, so they can provide the best possible advice to women adapting post-treatment.
"The sooner breast cancer is diagnosed...the more lives we will save"
Baroness Gillian Merron, said:
“Breast cancer survival rates have improved enormously thanks to advances in our understanding of and ability to treat this disease, but it is still the case that early diagnosis is vital for each individual's chances of survival.
“That's why we need to ensure every woman feels confident checking their breasts, recognising the possible signs of the disease, and getting any new or unusual breast changes checked by a GP. The sooner breast cancer is diagnosed, the better the chances of successful treatment, and the more lives we will save.
“As part of our Renewed Women’s Health Strategy, we’re joining forces with Breast Cancer Now to get trusted information directly to the women who need this support. That is exactly what the Strategy set out to do – listening to women, meeting them where they are and helping them live healthier lives.”
"Better serving women means meeting them where they are"
Rachel Franklin, Deputy Chief Executive at Breast Cancer Now, says:
“We’re hugely proud to be the first partner of the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy, working with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to deliver our shared ambitions around supporting women to live healthy, fulfilling lives, with breast awareness and ensuring women know where to turn for support being critical to that.
“By joining forces we’re driving progress faster and saving lives. We know early detection is vital, with almost 100% of people diagnosed at stage 1 surviving for five years or more, compared with just 32% at stage 4, when breast cancer has spread and become incurable.
“Together, we’ll tackle the challenges in front of us and ensure all women are confident in checking their breasts and recognising changes, know where to turn to and get answers, throughout treatment and beyond, equipped with the vital information and support they need at every stage.
“Better serving women means meeting them where they are, listening to what they need, and ensuring every woman gets the information and support to spot breast cancer sooner. From the first check to treatment and beyond, we’ll be there."
The need for more awareness and support:
New research from Breast Cancer Now reveals almost a third (29%) of women in England who regularly check their breasts do not feel confident doing so, whilst 11% of those checking less than once a month say it’s because they don’t know what to look out for.
While two thirds (63%) of women diagnosed with incurable metastatic breast cancer said they had not been told about the possibility of their cancer returning or spreading when they’d finished treatment for primary breast cancer.
Meanwhile, one in five (20%) of UK adults say they are not confident they would know where to find trusted information about breast cancer if they had concerns.
How serious is the issue in the UK?
One in seven women in the UK will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime and around 11,500 women still die from the disease each year.
Caught early, at stage 1, almost 100% of people survive for 5 years or more. But when it’s caught late, at stage 4, that drops to 32%, making it cause for deep concern that so many women lack confidence in spotting breast cancer signs and symptoms.