Advice urging people to contact their GP if they spot potential signs of cancer will appear on Morrison’s underwear labels, NHS England has announced.
The partnership will see NHS advice written initially in men’s boxer shorts and then crop top bras to raise awareness of symptoms of testicular and breast cancer. The labels will also advise patients to contact their GP if they notice symptoms that could be cancer.
The guidance will be displayed on fabric labels alongside a QR code on tags linking through to the NHS website.
NHS England’s national director for cancer, Dame Cally Palmer, said: ‘This is the first time the whole of the NHS has worked with a national supermarket brand to put health messaging on clothing, with the aim of encouraging thousands more people to be body aware, so they can spot new or unexplained changes that might be cancer symptoms early, and contact their GP practice for checks if concerned.
‘Cancer survival is at an all-time high – survival for both breast and testicular cancers have improved significantly over the last 50 years and we’re seeing more people than ever before diagnosed at an early stage – and this partnership with Morrisons is just one of the many ways we are ensuring people are aware of potential cancer symptoms.’
It comes after NHS England last week announced it would be scrapping its two-week wait target for cancer referrals in favour of a 28-day standard, effective from October.
Healthcare Leader analysis found that only two ICBs were meeting the target for all cancer referrals as of June 2023.
And less than half of patients referred with suspected cancer being seen within two weeks in two ICBs.
