Raising Breast Cancer Awareness in the Local Community
Kensington and Chelsea Health Learning Disability Partnership (CLCH), Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Yarrow charity, NHS West London CCG, Eve’s Appeal, and Caroline Brazil and Anne Johnson (two women with learning disability) linked together to form a cervical and breast cancer awareness event for women with learning disabilities as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The fun afternoon, on Wednesday 30th October, was organised to raise breast and cervical cancer awareness among people with learning difficulties from the Boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea. Taking place at the Kensington Leisure Centre, the event contained fake breasts, bingo, cakes, and healthcare talks.
Women with a learning disability are significantly less likely than the general population to attend breast or cervical screenings. A study by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust shows that women with learning disabilities are 45% less likely to be screened for cancer compared to their counterparts without learning disabilities.
Rifat Wahhab from Kensington and Chelsea Health Learning Disability Partnership (CLCH) hopes that the event will help increase the uptake of breast and cervical screening: “We want to listen to the real reasons why women with learning disabilities do not take up cervical and breast screening. The steps we take need to result in an increased take-up of cancer screening.”
Caroline Brazil has learning disability and lives in Kensington and Chelsea: “We need to make sure we do not have cancer. Some of us do not know about the signs. This event can teach women with learning disabilities what to look out for.”
Leisure centre staff also got involved to support the afternoon’s fun. Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust Consultant Nurse, Dr Victoria Harmer, commented, “Please can you thank the staff [at Kensington Leisure Centre] – they were all so helpful”. She added “would be delighted to work together in the future… seriously you chaps were so kind and nothing was too much trouble – such a marvellous community resource”.
For more information about the work Imperial do or for more infomrmation about breast screnning, please use the following links.