The Government’s first ever national cancer campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer will be launched today by Care Services Minister Paul Burstow.

Public awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer is low, but spotting the signs early and getting medical advice could save people’s lives.

Featuring real GPs, the ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ bowel cancer campaign will encourage people who have had blood in their poo or loose poo for more than three weeks to see their doctor. The new adverts aim to make people aware of the symptoms of bowel cancer and make it easier for them to discuss this with their GP.

Bowel cancer affects 33,000 people every year in England with the majority of cases occurring in people over the age of 55. There are 13,000 deaths a year but it can be less deadly if spotted and diagnosed early. More than 90 per cent of people diagnosed with bowel cancer at an early stage survive for at least five years compared with only six per cent of those diagnosed at a late stage.

If England’s bowel cancer survival rates matched the best in Europe an additional 1,700 lives would be saved every year.

Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said:

“No one likes talking about their poo – it’s embarrassing, but bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer so we need to get over the embarrassment and talk to someone about it.

“The “Be Clear on Cancer” campaign uses simple messages to make people aware of the key symptoms of bowel cancer and to give them the confidence to talk to their GP if they notice the symptoms.

“No matter how embarrassing it is, talking to your GP can help save your life.”

Dr Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, said:

“Detecting bowel tumours early, before they’ve had a chance to spread, can significantly stack the odds in the patient’s favour. Bowel cancer is currently the UK’s second biggest cancer killer. If people respond to this campaign – and take up bowel screening when invited to do so – we have a chance of pushing bowel cancer well down the league table of killers. We urge people to overcome their fear. For most, any symptoms will turn out to be nothing to worry about. But for those people with cancer, the earlier they go to their doctor, the more likely they are to survive.”

Mark Flannagan, Chief Executive, Beating Bowel Cancer said:

“We’re delighted to be supporting this campaign. Bowel cancer can be beaten if diagnosed early. Most changes in bowel habits probably won’t be cancer but if they are it is much better to be diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible.

By increasing awareness of bowel cancer and encouraging people to act on their symptoms, this campaign has the potential to save thousands of lives. So if you notice a change that lasts three weeks or more – whether it’s looser poo, blood in your poo or anything else that is unusual for you, go and tell your doctor as it could save your life.”

Deborah Alsina, CEO, Bowel Cancer UK said:

“We believe the Be Clear on Cancer bowel cancer campaign will play a vital role in raising awareness and saving lives. Often people don’t recognise that they are experiencing symptoms of bowel cancer until it’s too late.

“Bowel cancer needs to be diagnosed as early as possible so treatment can prevent the cancer from spreading and improve survival chances. It is crucial that people understand that recognising the symptoms and telling their GP could save their life.”

Actor Frazer Hines, who had bowel cancer said:

“I’m proof that spotting signs and symptoms for bowel cancer and talking to your doctor early can be a life saver. There’s nothing to be scared or embarrassed about. This campaign is very important and people need to take notice. Lives can be saved by simply visiting the doctor early on to discuss any concerns or worries – however big or small.”

Charlene White, ITN Newsreader, said:

“I wholeheartedly support this campaign. I lost my Mum to bowel cancer when I was 21 so I am very passionate about it as an issue. So many lives could be saved if people look out for the symptoms and go to their doctor early. Your health is very important so if you’re worried about something or you think you have the symptoms please book that appointment.”

The ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaign was piloted in the South West and East of England in January 2011. In those areas, GPs saw the number of people over the age of 50 presenting with the relevant symptoms increase by 48 per cent – about one extra patient per practice per week.

The adverts will appear on TV, radio, online and in newspapers in England for nine weeks from today (Monday 30 January) until the end of March.

The main symptoms of bowel cancer are:

• Blood in poo for three weeks or looser poo for three weeks or more
Other symptoms include:

• A pain or lump in your tummy

• Feeling more tired than usual for some time

• Unexplained weight loss

Bowel cancer stats

• Bowel cancer is England’s second most common cancer, with around 33,000 new cases each year.

• It affects both men and women and is the second biggest cancer killer responsible for more than 13,000 deaths a year.

• Around 14,600 cases were diagnosed in women and 18,000 in men in England in 2008

• Nine out of ten people diagnosed with the disease are aged over 55 and those with a family history are more at risk.

• Two thirds of bowel cancer develop in the colon, while the remaining third developing in the rectum

• Based on analysis of cancer survival rates in Europe, it is estimated that an additional 1,700 lives could be saved each year if England’s bowel
cancer survival rate matched the best in Europe.

• Bowel cancer is also referred to as colorectal cancer. It includes both cancer of the colon and cancer of the rectum.

• Of all the people in England and Wales diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer, more than 50 out of every 100 (50%) live for at least 5 years after their diagnosis. Recent estimates show that about 46% of people with rectal cancer and nearly 50% with colon cancer live for at least 10 years. This has improved greatly over the past 30 years.

• Other stats available on the CRUK website.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, poisonous gas produced by incomplete burning of carbon-based fuels, including gas, oil, wood and coal. Carbon-based fuels are safe to use. It is only when the fuel does not burn properly that excess CO is produced, which is poisonous. When CO enters the body, it prevents the blood from bringing oxygen to cells, tissues, and organs.

You can’t see it, taste it or smell it but CO can kill quickly without warning.

Victims may initially suffer from a variety of symptoms including headache, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, confusion and breathing difficulties. These symptoms will begin to disappear when the patient leaves the gas-filled environment or is removed from it.

Humberside Fire and Rescue Service would encourage people to install carbon monoxide monitors, these need not be too expensive and they could save lives,.

However there are sometimes other indicators that may suggest a fault with domestic boilers or flues. The signs of trouble are:

• Black sooty marks on the radiants of gas fires

• Sooty marks on the wall around stoves, boilers or fires

• Smoke accumulating in rooms due to faulty flues

• Yellow instead of blue flames from gas appliances

Advice for people who believe one of their appliances is spilling carbon monoxide:

• Open all doors and windows to ventilate the room

• Switch off the appliance and shut off the gas supply at the meter control valve

• Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999

• Visit your GP and tell him/her that you believe your may have been exposed to carbon monoxide

according to Macmillan Cancer Support there are 1.1 million people in the UK who are caring for someone with the disease.

The group estimates that around half of these carers do not get any support,which can lead to the risk of emotional and financial problems.

Almost half of those who care for a loved one with cancer will experience mental health problems such as stress, anxiety and depression, while one in eight suffers physical issues such as sleep and digestive problems.

The report also highlights the financial burden on carers, with one in seven facing money issues including extra travel costs and having to give up work.

A Carer’s Assessment, carried out by local authorities, can offer practical, emotional and financial help to carers, but Macmillan found that only 5% of carers have undergone such an assessment, leaving many of them without the support they need.

Macmillan chief executive Ciaran Devane said:

“Carers want to look after their family or friend with cancer – but it is often at the expense of their own mental or physical “health.

“Cancer is no longer necessarily a death sentence and this means there is a growing need for people to care for their family member or friend with cancer. Often this is long-term care. But carers need support to cope with the significant demands of their role.”

Liberal Democrat MP and Minister for Care Services, Paul Burstow visited Boots Opticians on Sutton High Street on Friday 27th January to find out why regular eye tests are so important in preventing blindness.

1.8 million people in the UK are living with sight loss and this figure is set to increase by 115% to nearly 4 million people by 2050, largely due to the ageing population. Much of this is preventable through the early detection and treatment of eye problems. Regular eye tests are a simple and practical way to maintain good eye health and look after your eyes.

Local Optometrist and Chair of the Local Optical Committee Sonal Patel explained the health benefits of regular eye tests:

“An eye test is not just to check whether you need glasses but is also a means of ensuring your eyes are healthy. An eye test can also pick up other health problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes, so they are an important health check for everyone. Many eye conditions such as glaucoma are treatable and sight loss can be prevented if they are detected early enough.”

Commenting on his visit Paul Burstow MP said:

“Given that sight is one of the most vital senses, it is really important that people take good care of their eyesight, and if ever in doubt, visit their local opticians. As we update the NHS it is a good thing that opticians will be taking a greater role in the public’s health alongside clinicians and their local authorities.”

Many groups of people are entitled to free NHS sight tests. These include those aged 60 and over, all children under 16 and those on low incomes. Optical practices are convenient and offer easy access in the local community. You can visit any practice that is either near where you live or where you work. Optical practices can see NHS patients at times that suit them.

According to a new study conducted by researchers at the Department of Public Health at Oxford, better hospital care and efforts to improve the nation’s health have helped cut the number of people dying from heart attacks by half in less than ten years.

The researchers, writing in the British Medical Journal, analysed data for England throughout the eight-year period from 2002 to 2010.

The team examined more than 840,000 people in England who had been admitted to hospital for a heart attack, or who died suddenly from one, and assessed the total death rate as well as the number dying within 30 days of an attack.

The results of the survey showed that the death rate fell by roughly half between 2002 and 2010, with a 50% drop in men and a 53% drop in women.

The researchers said just over half of the reduction in the number of deaths could be attributed to a fall in the number of new heart attacks, while just under half was because of a decline in the death rate following heart attack.

Overall, 61% of the people who experienced a heart attack were men, 36% of heart attacks resulted in death and 73% occurred in those aged 65 and over.

The study gave credit to efforts to cut smoking, manage high blood pressure and high cholesterol for helping to reduce the number of people suffering an attack.

An improvement in the hospital care of those who did suffer an attack was also recognised as contributing to the reduction. Researchers believe this has contributed to a fall in the overall number dying.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, poisonous gas produced by incomplete burning of carbon-based fuels, including gas, oil, wood and coal. Carbon-based fuels are safe to use. It is only when the fuel does not burn properly that excess CO is produced, which is poisonous. When CO enters the body, it prevents the blood from bringing oxygen to cells, tissues, and organs.

You can’t see it, taste it or smell it but CO can kill quickly without warning.

Victims may initially suffer from a variety of symptoms including headache, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, confusion and breathing difficulties. These symptoms will begin to disappear when the patient leaves the gas-filled environment or is removed from it.

Humberside Fire and Rescue Service would encourage people to install carbon monoxide monitors, these need not be too expensive and they could save lives,.

However there are sometimes other indicators that may suggest a fault with domestic boilers or flues. The signs of trouble are:

• Black sooty marks on the radiants of gas fires

• Sooty marks on the wall around stoves, boilers or fires

• Smoke accumulating in rooms due to faulty flues

• Yellow instead of blue flames from gas appliances

Advice for people who believe one of their appliances is spilling carbon monoxide:

• Open all doors and windows to ventilate the room

• Switch off the appliance and shut off the gas supply at the meter control valve

• Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999

Visit your GP and tell him/her that you believe your may have been exposed to carbon

Liberal Democrat MP Lorely Burt has attended a parliamentary reception in the House of Commons, organised by Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, for the launch of their new report, Preventing Babies’ Deaths: what needs to be done.

6,500 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth every year in the UK. The charity’s report proposes that 1,200 babies’ lives could be saved every year through a combination of more research, better care and greater awareness of the risks of stillbirth and newborn baby death.

Lorely Burt MP met with Solihull SANDS member Jean Bowden to discuss the report

Lorely Burt MP pledged her support for the Sands campaign, saying:

“I was shocked to discover the scale of baby deaths in the UK. 17 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth every day, with stillbirth being the largest contributor to child deaths under the age of five years. These deaths have a devastating impact on parents and their families, and I fully support Sands in their call for urgent action to prevent baby deaths in the future.”

The Report highlights that advances in neonatal medicine have led to small but welcome reductions in the number of newborn babies dying, however, Sands remains extremely concerned by the UK’s persistently high stillbirth rates; stillbirth numbers in the UK are the same today as they were in the late 1990s, with 1 in 200 babies being stillborn. The UK has one of the highest stillbirth rates when compared to similar high income countries, yet Sands strongly believes that with the appropriate commitment and investment in research and improved care, a reduction in these rates is achievable and should be a key focus for all those concerned with maternity services.

Neal Long, Chief Executive of Sands, addressed MPs at the parliamentary reception:

“A third of stillborn babies – around 1,200 babies – are perfectly formed and born at gestations when they might safely be delivered, but routine antenatal care is failing to detect far too many babies who need help. These babies’ deaths are those that Sands, researchers and clinicians working in obstetrics, believe are avoidable deaths.

“We want to see real national commitment to tackling this ignored tragedy and preventing all avoidable baby deaths in the future. We want lives saved and families spared the desperate heartbreak of losing their precious baby.”

The following articleby Paul Burstow MP originally appeared on the
:

If I said the words “telecare” and “telehealth” to the person on the street it’s likely they wouldn’t have a clue what I was on about. They’re hardly phrases which just trip off the tongue.

But dig under that jargon and you’ll find that these are really very simple technologies which can help elderly people and those with long-term conditions right across the country.

Yesterday I hosted a launch of the Three Million Lives campaign. Very simply this campaign is a public declaration of how Government and industry will work together to make sure millions of lives are transformed. And because the Lib Dems have championed it, we should be proud and shout about it from the rooftops. So, here goes:

•Telehealth means electronic sensors that monitor a person’s health remotely

• Telehealth means tabs are kept on vital health signs so that patients don’t have to attend hospital or their GP

• Telecare means personal alarms so that people, particularly elderly residents, can be cared for at home for longer

• Telecare means should an elderly person fall in their home, help will arrive quickly

Finally, Three Million Lives means we can expand the telecare and telehealth market and tell the story of how these two technologies help people. There are more than 15 million people with long-term conditions like diabetes, and the NHS spends 70p in every £1 of its budget on them. And so far we know that the benefits of this technology are quite astounding. As the results from our pilot sites show:

• There were 45% fewer deaths

• A 20% fall in emergency admissions

• A 14% reduction in bed days

The figures speak for themselves. So next time you hear the words ‘telecare’ and telehealth’, don’t zone out and instead think about how you can get involved. In the end, it’s about making sure more people’s lives can be made easier, happier and just that little bit more comfortable.

Council leaders have said that millions of struggling families could miss out on a Government fund to help those who cannot afford to heat their homes – despite having to pay a surcharge on their energy bills to payt for it.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents more than 350 councils in England and Wales, has warned that the Government’s Green Deal would leave some of the country’s most vulnerable families out in the cold.

Current proposals, which are set to come into force in October, would not allow social housing landlords and tenants applying for moneyunder the new Affordable Warmth target fund.

Householders will be able to apply for money from the fund to pay for home improvements such as loft and wall insulation which will reduce energy use and produce savings on their bills, but the money will only be available to people who own their own home or rent privately.

Council leaders have warned this could hinder the ability of local authorities to help families and residents in social housing who are on low incomes, in fuel poverty and vulnerable to the effects of the cold.

It would come as a double blow to tenants, tens of thousands of whom have just had solar panel installations scrapped as a result of changes to Government Feed-in Tariffs.

The Affordable Warmth target is an obligation on energy suppliers to reduce the heating bills of those most vulnerable to the cold. The money to pay for this is taken from everyone’s energy bills – including those of social tenants.

In a response to the Government’s consultation submitted this week, the LGA said that councils believe the Green Deal has the potential to help improve the energy efficiency of homes across the country and cut energy bills for residents and businesses, but only if money is distributed fairly.

The LGA is also calling for safeguards to be put in place to ensure energy companies are obliged to work with those less well-off to deliver their carbon reduction obligation. Up to now energy companies have been able to cherry pick properties who are able to pay the most towards any improvements carried out.

Cllr David Parsons, Chairman of the LGA Environment Board, said:

“We want to get behind the Government’s Green Deal but councils – who are the forefront of providing help to those who need it most – cannot endorse an approach which explicitly excludes some of the poorest and most vulnerable living in our social housing.

“This would be a double blow to millions of hard-up families in council and housing association homes who are also currently being told by government that they will be entitled to less help installing solar panels.

“Even after the recent reductions announced by the energy companies, gas and electricity bills are going up year after year, and those on the lowest incomes need help to ensure they are not priced out of being able to heat their homes.

“We urge the Government to reconsider any decision to exclude social tenants from an initiative designed to support the most vulnerable and to put in place strong safeguards which ensure that energy companies are no longer able to cherry pick households who can afford to contribute the most money to the Green Deal.

“Energy companies should be required to do more to help the poorest in society, not less.”

In November 2011 Cancer Research UK launched its R UV UGLY? campaign, an initiative calling on young Britons to face the damage inflicted on their skin by sunbeds.

The campaign is aimed at young people aged 16-18, as well as older people aged 28-44 (e.g. mums and sisters), as research shows they can often influence young people’s attitudes and behaviour towards using sunbeds.

Cancer Research UK have teamed up with the skin clinic, ‘Sk:n’, to offer people two free skin scans. This will allow young sunbed users and older ‘influencers’ to see the hidden damage lurking beneath the skin’s surface. Check out the R UV UGLY Facebook page for more information and to claim your free skin scans for you and a friend.

The campaign is based on research that shows that highlighting the cosmetic effects of over-exposure to UV rays may help change attitudes and behavior around sunbed use among young people, an audience often less receptive to messaging about the increased risk of skin cancer associated with sunbeds and too much sun.

Chris Lunn, SunSmart Campaign Manager, says:

“People could be putting their health at risk by visiting tanning salons to achieve a tan. And as well as increasing the risk of skin cancer, sunbeds can cause premature skin ageing. We want to help give people a sneak preview of what their future face looks like and if they must have a tan, encourage them to switch to a safer alternative by using fake tan.”

For more information about sunbeds or the R UV UGLY campaign, check out the SunSmart website.