South Yorkshire ‘Shows Up’ for cancer

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard is supporting the development of a major strategy and campaign calling for all organisations and individuals across health, business, industry, education, charities and sport among many others, to work within and across our communities and workforces to tackle cancer together.

The movement, known as South Yorkshire Shows Up, kicked off with an engagement event at Doncaster Racecourse in July, which saw the Mayor’s office and the SYB Cancer Alliance bring together senior leaders from a variety of organisations.

Chaired by NHS South Yorkshire ICB CEO Gavin Boyle, delegates heard from many guest speakers about the high incidence of cancer across South Yorkshire, Bassetlaw and North Derbyshire.

These included Dr Kevin Smith, Deputy Director for Public Health at NHS England for the North East and Yorkshire, who outlined the strategy’s proposed bold ambitions. These are to recognise cancer as a long-term condition, address inequalities in diagnosis and treatment in our communities, and to explore the promotion of effective prevention measures.

Sheffield Hallam University’s research fellow Dr Liam Humphreys talked about the evolution of cancer care and programmes to help people live longer and better. And Professor of Surgery at the University of Sheffield, Jim Catto, shared a detailed picture of the incidences and types of cancer prevalent across our region.

Dave Capper, Group CEO of Sheffield-based Westfield Health, shared a personal story of his own cancer experience while highlighting the importance of valuing the workforce and supporting them through their own experiences of cancer.

Delegates were invited to make pledges on the day about what they could do as organisations and individuals to support the cancer strategy’s bold ambitions.

Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “Our region has one of the highest rates of cancer in England, with the lowest proportion of people diagnosed at an early stage. I’m simply not prepared to accept those statistics as inevitable or insurmountable. That’s why I’m now leading the development of a cancer strategy that will challenge us to think and act differently.

 

“This event was just the start, but it is an important moment; a moment to bring together leaders from across our region to begin doing things differently, and to start challenging the cancer outcomes we see in South Yorkshire. Central to that new approach will be our new campaign ‘South Yorkshire Shows Up’, urging everyone to play a vital part in that mission.

 

“I can lead that new plan to tackle cancer, but I can’t do that work alone. That’s why I hope you can ‘show up’ and start to explore how we’re going to take on cancer together.”

The ‘South Yorkshire Shows Up’ movement and campaign is expected to launch officially this autumn with a comprehensive communications and engagement activity plan. This will include working in schools and with employers to highlight the importance of recognising signs and symptoms of cancer early enough to get diagnoses that can save lives.