Local MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth Craig Tracey gave his support to those affected by cancer and the NHS staff who care for them at a special Westminster event for World Cancer Day.
Craig - who campaigns against Breast Cancer, working with a number of Charities in Parliament and as a Co-Chair to the Breast Cancer Parliamentary group - met with campaigners from Cancer Research UK to learn about the charity’s latest research and show his support for all those working to ensure more people survive cancer.
Every year, 1100 people in North Warwickshire and Bedworth are diagnosed with cancer and in the UK 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with the disease at some point in their lifetime.
World Cancer Day on 4th February is an opportunity for people, organisations and countries to work together, raise awareness and take action to beat cancer.
Craig Tracey MP commented: “World Cancer Day is an important date in the calendar for those living with the disease, health providers and campaigners. The day helps to raise awareness of the scale of the challenge and the role we can all play in the fight against the disease. Cancer affects us all. We can all work together to beat it, not just the hard-working researchers and NHS staff who help to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.
“Small actions really can make a big difference to the lives of people with cancer. That’s why I’m urging people in our community to show their support all year round. Visit cruk.org for more information.”
Early diagnosis is a vital part of ensuring more people survive cancer. The Government has made a commitment to diagnose 75% of cancer cases in England at stage one or stage two by 2028.
However, to reach this target the NHS needs a long-term plan for the cancer workforce. Without this, there will not be enough specialist staff to meet the present pressures or cope with the growing and ageing population.
Shaun Walsh, Head of Public Affairs and Campaigning at Cancer Research UK, said: “A big thank you to Craig Tracey MP for joining us to raise awareness on World Cancer Day.
“Parliament has a big part to play in ensuring we work together to beat cancer sooner, and the shared ambition to diagnose more cancers earlier in the years ahead is a welcome one.
“Now to achieve a truly world-leading service and reach our goal of 3 in 4 people surviving cancer by 2034, we need to fill current vacancies in the cancer workforce and invest for the long term to produce NHS cancer professionals for today and generations to come.”
