The NHS is hitting the streets of Merseyside looking for the public's views on cancer services, support and care.
Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance (CMCA) is an NHS organisation responsible for improving prevention, diagnosis and support for patients across the region. It runs outreach events to boost awareness and increase early detection, including one at Toxteth's Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in March.
That workshop was aimed specifically at Black men, who are twice as likely as men in general to develop that the condition. In an effort to bring together organisations, patients and other people affected by cancer, the alliance is running a series of 'roadshows' throughout Cheshire and Merseyside from May to June.
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The first pop-up event, run in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support, kicks off near Boots on Bootle Strand, Bootle at 9am on Tuesday, May 10, running until 5pm that day, with the alliance saying: "If you, or someone you know, has been affected by cancer, please feel free to stop by and talk to us."
People will have a chance to "influence how services and care are designed and delivered in the future" at another nine events across every local authority area in the region. At these, people will also be asked if they want to become involved with the Alliance championing the views of patients or carers.
The CMCA will also be able to offer advice and information on cancer services, along with guidance on further support and help available. Jo Trask, the CMCA's health inequalities and patient experience lead, said: "We want to hear the views of local people about cancer services in their area. We also want to listen to their experiences of their support and care.
"CMCA is an NHS organisation that brings together clinicians, the public and community organisations to deliver transformational projects and improve cancer services across the region. We design cancer services and we want local people to have more say in how these services are designed and delivered."
The roadshow times and locations are:
Bootle: Tuesday, May 10 – Bootle Strand (near Boots), 9am-5pm
Southport: Wednesday, May 11 – Southport Community Centre, 9am-5pm
Liverpool: Thursday, May 12 – Royal Liverpool University Hospital, 10am-5pm
Birkenhead: Tuesday, May 24 – Birkenhead market, 9am- 5pm
St Helens: Tuesday, June 14 – St Helens outdoor market, 8am-3pm
Knowsley: Wednesday, June 15 – Kirkby town centre (outside Costa), 9am-5pm
Warrington: Tuesday, June 28 – Warrington market, 9am-5pm
Widnes: Wednesday, June 29 – Widnes market, 9am-4.30pm
Ellesmere Port: Tuesday, July 5 – Port Arcades Shopping Centre, 9am-5pm
Macclesfield: Wednesday, July 6 – Grosvenor Shopping Centre, 9am-5pm
For more information, please contact the CMCA on 07554 942797 or via email ccf-tr.hipe@nhs.net
