Lung cancer campaign: Resources and tools

Briefing sheets are available for the following groups who are essential to the success of the campaign:

NHS trust briefing sheet

GP briefing sheet

Pharmacists briefing sheet

Community groups and volunteers briefing sheet

These are electronic briefings with links to further information. All are print friendly. Please do pass these on to colleagues as appropriate so they can get up to date on the campaign too.

A range of additional Be Clear on Cancer materials have been developed centrally by the Department of Health for lung cancer, including symptom cards, leaflets and posters:

Download campaign materials (zip file)

The Be Clear on Cancer lung campaign leaflet is also available in an easy-read format:

Download an easy-read version of the campaign leaflet

Download a print-ready easy-read version of the campaign leaflet

The public-facing website for the Be Clear on Cancer Campaign is NHS Choices and several dedicated campaign websites have been created on http://www.nhs.uk/be-clear-on-cancer/lung-cancer/home.

Watch the lung cancer TV advert and listen to the radio adverts - take a look and refresh your memory of what your patients will be seeing and hearing during the campaign period.

You can order hard copies of leaflets and posters directly from the Health and Social Care Orderline or call 0300 123 1002

Hard copies of accessible versions (e.g. easy read and braille) of the information leaflet can be ordered by contacting enquiries@phe.gov.uk

Translating materials, while important, may not always be the best approach. Be Clear on Cancer materials are written in plain, straightforward English. This is often more accessible for less literate English speakers than complex translated materials. Public Health England have developed a document with guidance on things to consider before translating materials into different languages.

Review guidance on translating (.doc)

Public Health England have also developed a series of dual language symptom cards for the lung cancer campaign:

Download symptom cards in Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu (.zip)

The Department of Health recently published 'Direct access to diagnostic tests for cancer: best practice referral pathways for general practitioners'. The guidance aims to help GPs in determining which patients would be suitable for direct referral to local services providing the diagnostic tests.

It deals specifically with the circumstances and symptoms that may warrant such referrals and is aimed at healthcare professionals across primary and secondary care and those who both provide and commission services.

In March 2015, the British Journal of Cancer (BJC) published the second NAEDI supplement. The publication showcases a series of papers presenting current evidence on early diagnosis across the patient pathway.

View the full supplement(link is external)

As part of the March 2015 BJC supplement, Moffat et al. (2015) investigated the impact of the Be Clear on Cancer national bowel and lung cancer campaigns. The paper looks at public awareness and GP attendance with symptoms highlighted in the campaigns on samples of the population subgrouped by gender, age and socioeconomic status.

View “The impact of national cancer awareness campaigns for bowel and lung cancer symptoms on sociodemographic inequalities in immediate key symptom awareness and GP attendance(link is external)”

Power and Wardle (2015) looked at existing data from the Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM) to examine the impact of the Be Clear on Cancer campaigns on public awareness of key symptoms of lung and bowel cancer and perceived barriers to seeing a doctor.

View “Change in public awareness of symptoms and perceived barriers to seeing a doctor following Be Clear on Cancer campaigns in England(link is external)”

In December 2014, an evaluation of the regional and first national lung cancer campaign by Ironmonger et al. (2014) was also published in the BJC.

View “An evaluation of the impact of large-scale interventions to raise public awareness of a lung cancer symptom(link is external)”

The BMJ learning module  'suspected lung cancer: when you should refer', developed in association with NICE, aims to help you to:

• be familiar with the typical presenting features of lung cancer;
• identify unusual presentations of lung cancer; and
• know when to refer patients with suspected lung cancer.

Why not take a look and earn an extra CPD credit

A toolkit developed by Lancashire & South Cumbria Cancer Network. It’s free to access and has a dedicated section on lung cancer.

If you’re a pharmacist or a member of the pharmacy team and your customer/patient is complaining of the key symptoms or is using an over the counter (OTC) medicine connected to the key symptom of coughing for 3 weeks or more, you can ask some key questions. These include how long they’ve been suffering the symptoms or using the OTC medicine and whether they have spoken to their GP. We know that people delay going to see their GP for a variety of reasons. They might be embarrassed, not realise their symptoms are serious or worry about wasting their GP’s time.

Be confident and where relevant, give customers permission to visit their GP. If you feel comfortable tell the customer to mention that their pharmacist sent them. It may be the push they need to get themselves checked out.

If you are a pharmacy counter assistant or member of the pharmacy team, be confident and follow your normal protocol. If you are concerned about a customer and feel uncomfortable talking about cancer, ask your pharmacist to speak to them or, if that isn’t possible, encourage the customer to go to see their GP and get their symptoms checked out. The chances are it’s nothing to worry about, but if it is cancer, it’s better for it to be detected early.

One source of support that can help you with raising the subject of cancer with patients is the British Oncology Pharmacy Association’s E-learning Centre. The centre has training for pharmacists and pharmacy team members about raising awareness of cancer in a pharmacy setting, with a whole module on lung cancer. This is free to access once you have registered on the website.

Source cancer statistics for your practice or local area using the following tools:

View Cancer Research UK local cancer stats. Find and compare statistical information and intelligence about cancer in areas across the UK. Available data includes cancer incidence, survival and mortality, early diagnosis, screening and smoking.

View Public Health England's GP Practice Profiles. Source information about key indicators relating to cancer services for most GP practices in England and aims to help GP practices consider which services they offer to their patients.