A New National Cancer Plan

The Government is currently consulting  on what their new Cancer Plan for England should cover.

With 86% of melanoma cases caused by excessive exposure to UV radiation from the the sun or sunbeds we believe it is essential that the cancer plan includes measures to tackle this.

The good news is that the consultation includes UV radiation as a risk factor. The bad news is that there is a long list of possible risk factors and the Government are asking people to choose only three. We need to get the message across that excessive UV radiation is a problem.

Little has happened to tackle cases of melanoma in the past 15 years. If the new 10 year Cancer Plan does not address this, then for a 25 year period there will be a shocking gap in action to reduce the numbers of people with melanoma.

How you can help

  • Respond to the call for evidence Shaping the national cancer plan – Department of Health and Social Care
  • For the prevention question- choose ‘UV radiation’ as an option.
  • In the open box section you could also call for:
    • the Government to invest in awareness campaigns highlighting the risks of the sun and sunbeds, as well as raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of skin cancer
    • call for the Government to make it easier for people to access sunscreen, including by removing VAT from the cost of Sunscreen.
  • If you have time, you could also respond to the rest of the survey, raising the issues that matter the most to you and your experience of melanoma or having family affected by melanoma.

As well as responding to the survey yourself, you can encourage your family and friends to share their views.

Thank you! By working together we can get melanoma on the agenda!