Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase public awareness of (a) the causes of and (b) actions they can take to help prevent skin cancer.

NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns in England to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and to address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.

The Department continues to advise patients to follow National Health Service guidance on reducing the risk of skin cancer. This advice is available publicly on the NHS website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/sunscreen-and-sun-safety/

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and aftercare. The plan will seek to improve both the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer, including skin cancer.