During the hot, sunny summer, specialist nurses from the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (WSFT) worked with Cancer Support Suffolk (CSS) to raise awareness of staying safe in the sun.
With stands at the Suffolk Show and Latitude Festival, and a visit to the workers on the Sizewell C construction site, the team joined forces with the local charity to offer free skin checks and sun protection advice. Over the summer they saw hundreds of people, advising some to get their skin checked out by their GP, and at the same time offering reassurance to many more.
Specialist nurses from WSFT, Claire Birch, Stacey Bayards and Kate McLanachan, worked alongside CSS colleagues, including Kimya Piper, education, engagement and outreach manager. Stacey said: “At the Suffolk Show, we checked 355 people, and about 50 of those were advised to seek a referral to have potential concerns with their skin investigated. That meant we were also able to reassure more than 300 people, which was much appreciated.”
After Latitude, Kate said: “Claire and I saw 178 people and potentially found two melanomas, two dysplastic nevi and five basal cell carcinomas. We got some amazing feedback and gave out hundreds of free suncream samples to festival goers.”
This follows on from a visit, again with CSS, to offer skin checks and advice to workers at the Sizewell C construction site on the Suffolk coast. With many people working on the site spending a lot of their time outdoors, sun safety is paramount, and the visit was timely during this season of extreme weather.
Mark Murphy, MBE, chief executive officer of Cancer Support Suffolk, said: “We were so pleased to be able to partner up with the excellent nurses from the West Suffolk Hospital this summer.
“We literally saw hundreds of people, many were reassured that everything was ok but others were referred for further examination.
“It just shows how many people are walking around today with a potentially deadly skin cancer. As well as the checks we were able to offer help and advice to young and old about the best practice for staying safe in the sun.
“I’m looking forward to continuing this vital outreach work again in 2027.”
Now, despite the change to Autumn, the advice is still to keep checking your skin for any changes, and to wear sunscreen every day.
Further sources of information and support:
- Checking your skin and nails – Melanoma Focus
- Skcin – The Karen Clifford Melanoma & Skin Cancer Charity
Sun safety | Reduce your skin cancer risk | Cancer Research UK
