Skip to main content
All Posts By

Cancer Alliance

Mar 06
picture of one of the mobile scanning units for lung health checks. Large lorry type vehicle with steps at the side

Thousands more people in Humber and North Yorkshire to be checked for lung cancer every year – thanks to £1.1m investment in new CT scanner

By Awareness and Early Diagnosis, Lung Health Checks

An extra 7,000 people in Humber and North Yorkshire could receive potentially life-saving lung scans every year, following the acquisition of another CT scanning unit by partners working together to deliver the NHS Targeted Lung Health Check programme in the region.

The addition of a second CT scanner was made possible after NHS England and NHS Improvement awarded more than £1.1million to the NHS Targeted Lung Health Check programme in Humber and North Yorkshire, an area which includes Hull, East Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire, York and North Yorkshire.

The CT scanning unit will be used to check the health of people’s lungs as part of the NHS Targeted Lung Health Check programme, which recently launched in North East Lincolnshire and has been running in Hull for approximately two years. The programme will be rolled out in other parts of Humber and North Yorkshire in the coming years.

The acquisition of an extra CT scanner will increase the diagnostic capacity of the NHS Targeted Lung Health Check programme in Humber and North Yorkshire, from around 7,000 lung health check scans per year to 14,000 scans per year, meaning people in our region can be checked sooner for conditions such as lung cancer, which often does not have any obvious symptoms in the early stages.

The NHS Targeted Lung Health Check programme invites people aged 55 – 74 who smoke or used to smoke and are registered with a local GP for a free Lung Health Check.

The screening consists of a telephone assessment and if necessary a low-dose CT scan and helps to identify potential lung problems, including lung cancer, at an earlier stage when they are easier to treat. The CT scans take place on a mobile scanning unit in the community, such as a supermarket car park or sports stadium, and only take 30 seconds to complete.

Dr Stuart Baugh, Clinical Director for Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance, said: “The addition of a second CT scanner is a timely boost to the NHS Targeted Lung Health Check programme in Humber and North Yorkshire as it will help us to potentially diagnose lung conditions in more people at an early stage – when treatment is likely to be more successful and straightforward.

“Community screening of this nature plays a huge part in the early detection of conditions such as lung cancer, which often has no symptoms in the early stages. By picking up problems earlier they can be easier to treat and can increase people’s chances of survival.”

Dr Kanwal Tariq, Consultant in Chest Medicine at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “It’s no exaggeration to say that for some people, the Lung Health Check has potentially been a life saver, and we are proud to have been leading such a proactive and forward-thinking initiative right here in Hull.

“We are keen to continue to play that central role in the delivery of Lung Health Checks further afield now that capacity is set to increase, and we look forward to seeing the new unit up in running in the near future.”

Visit the Cancer Alliance’s website to find out more about the NHS Targeted Lung Health Check programme in Humber and North Yorkshire.

Mar 03
picture of someone breaking a cigarette in half

Make the swap and stop smoking!

By Awareness and Early Diagnosis, Uncategorised

March the 8th is No Smoking Day 2023, and a great opportunity to have a go at quitting for good. Stopping smoking improves your brain health and reduces your chance of developing dementia. It’s never too late to quit to improve your mind, body, and bank balance!

Most people are aware that smoking causes 16 types of cancer, heart disease, COPD and strokes. What fewer people realise, is that smoking affects brain health and is a significant risk factor for dementia, which is the key focus this No Smoking Day. The World Health Organisation estimates that 14% of cases of Alzheimer’s disease worldwide are potentially caused by smoking. Dementia care costs the NHS more than 4 billion pounds annually, and social care costs are thought to exceed 18 billion pounds.

Dr M Santhana Krishnan, Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, also a member of the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership Dementia Steering Group said:

“Smoking increases the risk of both Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia, also the more someone smokes, the higher the dementia risk.
Like other smoking related health issues, quitting at any age can still significantly reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of Dementia”.

It can take a few attempts to stop smoking, and that’s why it’s important to keep trying different ways until you find the one that helps you to quit for good.

Support from local stop smoking services gives you the best chance of success, and GPs and pharmacists can also give advice and tips to help you quit. Swapping to a vape is another highly effective way of stopping smoking and is significantly less harmful than tobacco. Your local stop smoking service can help you through the process of using a vape to becoming completely Smokefree.

You can also download the free NHS Quit Smoking app, which includes daily emails and SMS, information and advice on stop smoking aids, including how vaping can help you quit; and an online Personal Quit Plan tool.

The NHS has prioritised the delivery of treatments for tobacco dependency, and in the Humber and North Yorkshire area hospitals are in the process of making sure everyone who smokes is offered expert support to swap cigarettes and rollups for safer forms of nicotine. This is proven to help get the best out of treatment by being Smokefree whilst in hospital and when they go home, where many people choose to take that next and best step for their health and stop for good.

Mandy was recently admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary with respiratory issues, needing oxygen and emergency care. As Mandy was a smoker, the doctor prescribed a long-lasting nicotine patch and referred her to see Bobbie, one of the Trust’s Tobacco Dependency Treatment team. Bobbie visited Mandy throughout her stay in hospital and talked through the habits associated with smoking, providing advice on how to develop new, smokefree routines.

Mandy, who had wanted to quit for a while after trying many times before and was smoking 30-40 cigarettes a day, is now completely Smokefree and wanted other people to know about the positive effect stopping smoking had for her,

“I would encourage anyone to give quitting another go.
I am now six weeks smokefree and it’s completely changed my life for the better!
I am walking more, cooking more and can taste my food again. I’ve managed to lose some weight and have more energy. I’ve saved enough money to buy my guinea pigs a new cage, which felt like an extra bonus after all the health benefits”.

Make this No Smoking Day the day to swap tobacco for something safer, download the NHS Quit Smoking app, or contact your local stop smoking service who can talk you through all the options so that you can find the one that works for you. Every quit attempt is precious, so let’s sort the next one out together.

For further information or to contact your local stop smoking service, which is completely free, visit Quit smoking – Better Health – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Feb 20
picture of a hospital room bay with a row of beds on the right and a bay on the left with the curtain closed

Blog: Wendy Scott, the Managing Director of the Humber and North Yorkshire Collaboration of Acute Providers

By Blog, Cancer Diagnosis and Innovations, Treatment and Pathways

Hello colleagues, I am Wendy Scott, the Managing Director of the Humber and North Yorkshire Collaboration of Acute Providers, more commonly referred to as CAP – we love an acronym in the NHS, don’t we!

The Collaboration of Acute Providers (CAP) is one of several provider collaboratives operating across the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care System (Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership) – others include the mental health, voluntary sector, primary care, and community provider collaboratives.

For those unfamiliar with the term, provider collaboratives are partnership arrangements involving two or more NHS trusts working at scale to benefit their populations. While providers have worked together for many years, the move to formalise this way of working gives providers the opportunity to combine resources and expertise to learn from each other and address the challenges they are facing.

The CAP consists of the four acute trusts in the our region – Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust; York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; and Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

“The Collaborative of Acute Providers is working to ensure that the people of Humber and North Yorkshire have timely access to the same standard of acute care and are supported to achieve their best health.”

– Wendy Scott, the Managing Director of the Humber and North Yorkshire Collaboration of Acute Providers

We have been working collaboratively in this way for some time now and by working together we have agreed an elective and diagnostic recovery plan, optimising our joint capacity to ensure we manage our waiting list.

In terms of now and the future, we will use our collective expertise and resources to ensure that people have timely access to high quality care and are supported to achieve their best health.

We will do this by:

  • Being bold and ambitious in the standards of care we want for our patients and delivering those standards consistently.
  • Working together with our communities to tackle inequalities in patient outcomes, experience and access of services.
  • Investing and developing our workforce (existing and new staff), working with partners to ensure Humber and North Yorkshire is a great place to work.
  • Being a valuable partner to work with, across the health and care sector and voluntary, community and social care sector.
  • Using our NHS resources effectively and efficiently to make sure people have access to the right treatment and care at the right time, delivered by the right staff.

It has been widely documented in the media that demand for NHS services has reached levels never seen before. We have made positive progress in recovering  services following on from the Covid Pandemic and we are exploring every opportunity to grow our capacity to meet future needs.

With that in mind members of the CAP are working together to:

  • Develop a strategic approach to clinical services focusing on vulnerable services and a strategic response to clinical networks and associated cross system working arrangements.
  • Deliver elective recovery (covering inpatient, diagnostics and cancer) to meet or exceed national benchmarks, standards and targets.
  • Deliver urgent care standards and requirements across providers and local systems to reduce variation and improve consistency of response.
  • Build capacity and capability in clinical support services to achieve appropriate infrastructure in place to delivery strategic clinical aims.
  • Establish and deliver appropriate corporate strategies to enhance integration and tackle variation including approaches to collective planning, rationalised and aligned estates/capital process and development of underpinning approaches in workforce.
  • Continue to build capacity and capability within and across HNY CAP to meet ongoing requirements.
Feb 06
picture of a person in a blue hospital gown laying on the bed of a CT scanner with their hands above their head and a nurse next to them operating the scanner

Blog: NHS Targeted Lung Health Check Programme launches in North East Lincolnshire

By Awareness and Early Diagnosis, Blog, Cancer Diagnosis and Innovations

An update from Stuart Baugh, Programme Director for Humber and North Yorkshire NHS Targeted Lung Health Check Programme, as it launches in North East Lincolnshire. 

Following the success of Lung Health Checks in Hull, which have to date assessed over 15,000 people for lung related health problems and helped to detect 75-80% of lung cancer cases at earlier stages, I am proud to announce that Lung Health Checks are now also available in North East Lincolnshire.

It’s the NHS’ Long Term Plan ambition to detect more cancers at an earlier stage, saving thousands more lives. Cancer screening plays a key role in this.

I am privileged to have worked with a fantastic team to lead the NHS Targeted Lung Health Check Programme in Hull for the last three years, one of 23 pilot lung screening programmes across the UK.

The Lung Health Check programme checks those most at risk of developing lung cancer and helps to detect lung cancer cases earlier than usual, giving people improved chances of treatment being effective and ultimately saving lives.

The programme is being offered to over 19,000 past and present smokers aged 55-74, in a phased approach over the next year. It started in Immingham in January and will gradually move across the county by GP practice. Anyone who is eligible will be written to and invited to book an appointment at a time that’s convenient to them when the unit is in their area.

Lung Health Checks consist of an initial telephone consultation that runs through any breathing issues people may be having, as well as lifestyle, family and medical history. If a certain level of risk is identified, then the person might be invited for a low dose CT scan on a mobile unit in the local community.

The scan only takes a few minutes, and our units are in easy to reach places, such as shopping centre and supermarket car parks, meaning people can easily park up and call in while going about the day-to-day business.

Lung Health Checks don’t just look for cancer, they can also diagnose a range of illness, such as emphysema, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Like cancer, the earlier these diseases are found the easier they can be to treat and in turn this ultimately saves more lives.

I’m looking forward to working with colleagues across North East Lincolnshire to encourage people to take up these vital lifesaving checks and welcome your support with raising awareness of the programme in whatever way you can. If you would like to find out more about Lung Health Checks visit www.lunghealthcheck.org.uk.

 

 

 

 

Stuart Baugh, Programme Director for Humber and North Yorkshire NHS Targeted Lung Health Check Programme

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jan 17
blue background with text saying cervical cancer prevention awareness sessions and a QR code for the page with more information

Cancer Alliance offers awareness sessions to encourage people to come forward for cervical screening

By Awareness and Early Diagnosis, Cancer Champions

Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance is encouraging people to come forward for cervical screening by offering free cervical screening awareness sessions during Cervical Cancer Prevention Week (23rd – 29th January).

The sessions are free and available online to anyone living or working in Humber and North Yorkshire. They will teach people about the signs and symptoms of cervical cancer, as well as providing advice about screening tests, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cervical cancer, and the HPV vaccination programme.

Dr Dan Cottingham, CRUK GP Lead for the Cancer Alliance, said: “Cervical cancer is the most preventable cancer and cervical screening can help identify changes in your cervix and the cells, before cervical cancer starts. It’s important to educate and support people to have the confidence to come forward for their screening, which is why we’ve decided to offer a series of bitesize awareness sessions.

“Some people can be nervous about cervical screening because they are unsure of what it entails. Offering specific sessions helps us to alleviate people’s concerns and encourage them to attend their screening, which can catch any problems at an earlier stage when they are easier to treat.”

The Cancer Alliance’s Cancer Champions awareness sessions give people the skills and confidence to have conversations about cancer with family and friends, which in turn can encourage more people to attend screening or seek GP advice for any concerns they may have.

Syeda signed up to a Cancer Champions training session having lost a family member to cancer and being nervous of attending her cervical screening appointment.

She said: “I had spoken to my GP about cervical screening, but I was put off by the terminology used and didn’t fully understand the procedure, so I avoided going for my screening when I was invited. After attending the Cancer Champions training everything felt so much clearer. Things were explained really simply, and it gave me the confidence to book a screening appointment. I would encourage anyone to take up screening appointments when offered as early detection can make a big difference.”

Emma Lewin, Project Manager for the Cancer Champions programme, said: “We’ve had people come back to us after the training sessions to let us know that the training encouraged them to have screening or to speak to their GP about a concern they have had, and it’s potentially saved their life or that of someone they know.

“It’s a privilege to be able to make a difference to people like Syeda. I’m looking forward to delivering the cervical screening awareness sessions and announcing our next round of Cancer Champions sessions to continue making a difference and ultimately save lives.”

Cervical screening in England is open to women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64. People aged 24 to 49 will receive a letter every three years and those aged 50 to 64, every five years. More information is available on the NHS England website.

To reserve your place on one of the Cancer Alliance’s free cervical screening awareness sessions during Cervical Cancer Prevention Week (23rd January to 29th January) visit the Cancer Alliance website.

Jan 09
David, a man with short hair, glasses and a striped t-shirt

Lung Health Check’s: David’s story

By Awareness and Early Diagnosis
David, a man with short hair, glasses and a striped t-shirt

David, from Hull, had never had any problems with his lungs but when he was invited for a Lung Health Check by his GP in January 2022, as an ex-smoker, he thought it would be a good idea to get a check and booked his appointment straight away.

David said: “I was initially contacted by a nurse, who carried out an assessment over the phone with me. I was then invited for a CT scan at the Lidl store car park, Hessle Road, Hull, which was local to me, so really convenient.

“When I arrived at the unit, I was greeted by three members of staff, who instantly made me feel really comfortable,” David recalled. “The whole thing didn’t take long, and I was told I’d be contacted within four weeks.”

Three weeks later David was contacted and told that the scan showed a small growth, called a nodule on his lung. He was then invited to have a spirometry test to check his lung capacity and another CT scan at Castle Hill Hospital.

He explained: “Luckily, I was informed that the nodule was inactive (non cancerous), which was a relief. I’ve been told that I’ll have regular checks to keep an eye on it though, which gives me good piece of mind.”

In addition to the nodule, the scan also found calcification in David’s arteries, which can be an early sign of coronary artery disease and can indicate an increased risk of heart attack. However simple lifestyle changes can help lower your risk.

David said: “The whole experience has been a bit of an early warning and influenced me to make changes to improve my health, such as improving my diet by cutting down on things like cheese and red meat.

“I’m so glad I had the Lung Health Check; it’s given me the chance to take positive steps before it’s too late. I want to encourage others who are invited to take up the offer too, it really can save lives.”

Nov 15
Professor Stephen Eames, short white hair, short beard, dark suit, white shirt and blue tie

Stephen Eames CBE appointed as Chair of the Cancer Alliance

By Announcements

Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance is pleased to announce that Stephen Eames CBE has been appointed as its new Chair.

Stephen succeeds Phil Mettam as Chair of the Cancer Alliance, a position he has held since 2019.

Phil has taken up a role to provide support and oversight to the Humber Acute Services Programme and associated developments.

Stephen will officially take up the role from 1st January 2023. He will combine the role while serving as Chief Executive of the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.

As Chair, Stephen will oversee the work of the Cancer Alliance and provide leadership on the key issues affecting cancer services in the Humber and North Yorkshire area.

Stephen Eames said: “I am pleased to be joining the Cancer Alliance as Chair. Cancer services in Humber and North Yorkshire are under significant pressure, just as they are elsewhere in the country. I’m looking forward to working with partners within the Cancer Alliance to develop innovative solutions to address these issues.”

Phil Mettam said: “My time as Chair of the Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance has been extremely rewarding. I wish Stephen well in the role and I’m sure he will be an asset to the Cancer Alliance. I would like to thank colleagues within the Cancer Alliance who have work tirelessly to provide the best possible care for cancer patients in what has been extremely challenging circumstances in recent years.”

Nov 07
Lucy Turner new Cancer Alliance Managing Director

Blog: Meet the Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance’s Managing Director…

By Blog

Hello, I’m Lucy Turner, the newly appointed Managing Director of the Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance.

I’m looking forward to re-joining you from 1st January 2023, having previously served as Programme Director in 2019. Until then I will be continuing in my Deputy Chief Operating Officer role at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Cancer is such an evocative word because, according to Cancer Research UK, one in two people in the UK will develop cancer in their lifetime, while many more will be indirectly affected by supporting their friends and family after they receive a diagnosis. Cancer affects everybody in one way or another.

And no two cancer patient’s experiences or stories are the same so, while the Cancer Alliance and cancer service providers are understandably judged on the data (namely the time it takes for a referral for suspected cancer, or to receive a diagnosis of cancer, or to begin treatment), it is important not to view these figures in isolation.

I know this at first hand having lost a life-long friend to cancer before the pandemic. Gary was able to spend his final few weeks the way he chose, at home with his family and friends around him including his brass band mates playing his favourite tunes on the driveway.

We must always remember that there is a real person, often with a family behind every cancer diagnosis. At the end of the day, we all joined the NHS to help improve outcomes for patients, something I have always been passionate about.

This is why the Cancer Alliance has renewed its commitment to ensuring that the voice of people whom are affected by cancer are at the heart of service improvements.

Cancer Alliance colleagues are working with our patient and public representative group to review and refresh our approach to engagement and involvement of these individuals in the work that the Cancer Alliance carries out. More news on this to come over the next few months.

You might have read in NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard’s winter resilience plan update last month that, nationally, the proportion of cancers detected at stage 1 and 2 is now higher than it was before the emergence of Covid; urgent cancer referrals are also above pre-pandemic levels; and cancer treatment and diagnostic activity levels are nearer 100% of pre-pandemic levels.

That is encouraging news but it’s important to note that cancer services are under a great deal of pressure across our region, as well as the rest of the country.

This winter promises to be one of the most challenging, if not the most challenging, winters on record for the NHS. We will have to work hard, collectively, in order that we continue to recover and sustain our cancer services and address the issues affecting our cancer patients in Humber and North Yorkshire.

Whilst there are many challenges to address, particularly around cancer waiting times, there are many exciting projects being delivered to help improve earlier diagnosis and outcomes for cancer patients in our region.

The Cancer Alliance’s mission remains to transform the diagnosis, treatment and care for cancer patients in the Humber and North Yorkshire area. That is my commitment to the memory of my friend Gary as well as all our patients and service users.

Nov 02

Under 16 Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2021 results published

By Personalised Care

The 2021 results of the Under 16 Cancer Patient Experience Survey (U16 CPES) have been published.

The U16 CPES measures experiences of tumour and cancer care for children across England. The survey is now in its second year.

The survey’s respondents are children who were aged between eight and 15 at the point of discharge, and parents or carers of children aged up to 15.

Children from the Humber and North Yorkshire area tend to receive cancer care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust or Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.

From a national perspective, some of the findings were:

  • 9.01 out of 10 was the average parent/carer rating of the overall experience of their child’s care
  • 89% of parents/carers rated the overall experience of their child’s care as 8 or more out of 10.
  • 95% of children report being looked after very well or quite well, with less than 1% saying they were not looked after well.

You can view the results by visiting Under 16 Cancer Patient Experience Survey website.

Skip to content