§ Earl Howeasked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of the level of public awareness of skin cancer. [HL3253]
§ Lord WarnerCancer Research UK has been commissioned by the United Kingdom health departments to provide the SunSmart skin cancer prevention campaign for the next three years.
The Sun-Smart campaign commissioned the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to carry out a quantitative sun protection survey in March 2003. The survey was designed to measure knowledge about skin cancer prevention measures, attitudes to tanning and the dangers of the sun and self-reported sun protection behaviour.
ONS research will be used to monitor the campaign's impact and effectiveness. Further surveys were carried out in September 2003 and February 2004.
Results from the March 2003 ONS survey are publicly available on the SunSmart website www.sunsmart.org.uk
The campaign also commissioned qualitative research through the Centre for Social Marketing at Strathclyde University in September 2003 to run focus groups exploring the UK public's attitudes to the sun, sun protection and skin cancer among children and young people. Results will be available online later this summer.
§ Earl Howeasked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they are taking to provide information in doctors' surgeries on actinic keratosis and suspected skin cancer. [HL3254]
§ Lord WarnerCancer Research UK has been commissioned by the United Kingdom health departments to provide the SunSmart sun awareness campaign for the next three years.
Cancer Research UK has printed 40,000 posters designed to assist general practitioners and practice nurses in the identification of suspicious skin lesions, including actinic keratosis. The poster, which contains photographs and explanations of various lesions, has been distributed to all UK doctors' surgeries in early 2004.
Cancer Research UK also makes available a series of health information leaflets for surgeries which can be distributed to patients. These include Malignant Melanoma—be a mole watcher for life and Skin cancer—how to be SunSmart and reduce your risk.
108WAThrough these strategies, we are encouraging health professionals to take an opportunistic approach of checking patients' moles when they attend surgery, and encouraging the public to check their moles and seek professional opinion for suspect lesions.