Healthcare staff, community workers and university staff – all helping to improve the lives and treatment for people affected by cancer – have been honoured at the Greater Manchester Cancer Awards 2024.
Winning projects included a research project looking into a rare cancer which has had no new treatments available over the past 30 years and a community project aiming to change perceptions of cancer from “big C” into the “small c”.
The winners of the Commitment to Equality Award was the Stockport Community Cancer Engagement Project.
The awards are organised by Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, part of the NHS.
The Alliance is working hard to help more people than ever to reduce their risk of developing cancer and improve survival outcomes through early diagnosis, better treatment and supporting people to live well with and beyond cancer.
70 entries were received across seven categories from teams in the NHS, research, voluntary, community and social enterprise and public health and local authority sectors. A panel of judges made up of patients, clinicians, academics and other health care professionals whittled the entries to 21 finalists who attended a ceremony at the Hilton in Deansgate, Manchester on 14 May where the winners were announced.
The Alliance’s Greater Manchester Cancer Voices Community – made up of patient and carer reps – also voted for the Patients’ Choice Award from the 18 shortlisted entries.
Winning entries included the Stockport Community Cancer Engagement Project which aims to turn the “big C” into the “small c” and change perceptions from death, fear and hair loss to hope, treatment and survival.
The Team Science and Early Career Researcher Awards paid tribute to some of the excellent research being done in Greater Manchester to help idenitfy treatments for the future. In research Manchester’s PMP Accelerator Team won the Team Science Award for a project researching a very rare cancer which has had no new treatments available over the past 30 years. The Early Career Researcher award went to Alicia-Marie Conway who clearly demonstrated strong academic achievement, with her research looking at Cancer of the Un Met Primary and Biliary Tract Cancers having good patient and public involvement and engagement and addressing health inequalities.
Cancer and Us: Community Conversations won the Educational Impact Award for a grassroots engagement project that showed it was breaking down barriers through hands on activities, facilitating communication and two-way education. While the Cancer Support Worker Pilot won the award for the best Greater Manchester Collaboration. Judges praised the collaboration this project showed across primary and secondary care, patients, voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors and multiple localities and beyond Greater Manchester.
In innovation a project which represents a significant innovation in cancer pathway data management. entitled Greater Manchester Minimum Cancer Dataset (MinCAN) took poll position. And in Outstanding Care, Tameside Advanced Cancer Nurse Specialists scooped the award for their work providing outstanding care for cancer patients through a holistic approach. The team identified an unmet need and worked collaboratively with the local stakeholders to develop this service.
Finally patient and carer representatives from the Greater Manchester Cancer Voices community – part of Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, voted for the Targeted Lung Health Check Programme for the Patients’ Choice Award. The programme is jointly organised by the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and designed to check those most at risk of developing lung cancer in order to spot signs earlier, at the stage when it’s much more treatable and ultimately saving more lives.
Greater Manchester has one of the highest mortality rates for lung cancer in England. So far more than 500 patients have been diagnosed with lung cancer as a result of the Lung Health Checks in Greater Manchester, however, almost 80% of these patients were diagnosed at stage 1 or 2 meaning they were more likely to be eligible for curative treatment. People diagnosed with lung cancer at the earliest stage are nearly 20 times more likely to survive for five years than those whose cancer is caught late. Lung cancer can often be caught too late as there are rarely symptoms at the earlier stages.
