Public Health England (PHE) is running fewer public cancer awareness campaigns, seemingly due to cuts in its budget.
In recent years, PHE has run two major campaigns a year focused on raising public awareness about the early symptoms of cancer. Many of these were run under the ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ brand, which sometimes runs specific sub-campaigns for certain types of cancer.
However, after only a single Be Clear on Cancer drive in 18/19, PHE has none planned for 19/20, a move linked to a £7 million drop in PHE’s publicity budget.
Cancer Research UK has branded the news “really concerning”.
The move seems particularly surprising as the Be Clear on Cancer campaign, originally conceived with the help of leading advertising agency M&S Saatchi, was helping to improve the early detection of cancer.
Such public awareness campaigns were also thought to be an important part of helping achieve the NHS Long Term Plan’s objective of diagnosing earlier 75% of cancers by 2028.
Brain Tumour Research backs earlier brain tumour diagnosis but believes improved treatments are the ultimate priority. Without these advancements, an early diagnosis alone may leave patients with nothing but a longer walk to the grave.
The impact of less investment in awareness campaigns across the cancer spectrum will also have an impact on the brain tumour community and we regard this news with concern and disappointment.
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