SKY BLUES IN THE COMMUNITY TEAM UP WITH NHS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF LUNG CANCER
6 November 2024
Sky Blues in the Community and Coventry City FC are playing their part in tackling lung cancer by teaming up with the NHS this Lung Cancer Awareness Month to raise awareness of the disease and encourage people to take part in the local lung screening programme.
On November 6th, during the league fixture with Derby County, the Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Targeted Lung Health Check team will be present to engage with Coventry City FC supporters, provide information about the NHS targeted lung health checks screening service, and sign-up eligible individuals for a free lung health check.
Fans who are attending the game can visit the information stall which can be found next to the Sky Blues in the Community inflatable in front of the North stand from 5:30pm right up until kick off.
As November marks Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Sky Blues in the Community is also partnering with the local NHS Targeted Lung Health Check team on a range of community-based programs, offering vital information about the signs and symptoms of cancer and the screening services available to participants throughout the month.
Lung cancer remains the UK's most fatal cancer, tragically claiming over 30,000 lives annually, and it also has one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers. This largely due to lung cancer often being symptomless at an early stage, which can lead to it being diagnosed later when treatment is much less likely to be effective.
Treating cancer early dramatically improves people’s chance of survival, with 60% of people currently surviving stage 1 cancer for 5 years or more compared with just 4% if treated at stage 4. This makes cancer screening programmes, like the Targeted Lung Health Check programme, so important in identifying cancer early and ultimately saving lives.
The Targeted Lung Health Check programme targets those who are at higher risk of lung cancer and invites them to be assessed by a healthcare professional. The service is available for anyone aged between 55 and 74 who are current or former smokers, with these factors putting them at higher risk of developing lung cancer. For more information on lung health checks, visit https://www.happyhealthylives.uk/lunghealthcheck/.
Sky Blues in the Community Health and Wellbeing Manager John Szyndler shared:
"It’s great to be working with the NHS in Coventry and Warwickshire on this awareness campaign. Early detection and action saves lives. By raising awareness, sharing information and making these vital health checks easily accessible to our supporters and communities, we're empowering individuals to take control of their health and fight lung cancer together."
Dr Vicki Drought, Lung Cancer Lead and Respiratory Consultant at NHS University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said:
“We’re delighted to be working with Sky Blues in the Community and Coventry City FC to raise awareness of lung cancer and the Targeted Lung Health Check programme. The programme has been incredibly successful so far, increasing the rate of early detection in Coventry from 20% to over 75% - which has undoubtedly saved lives. However, there are still lots of eligible people who haven’t had their lung health check, so I’d encourage anyone attending the Derby game to come and find our information stall to speak to a member of our team and find out more.”