Body Awareness

Working together with key strategic partners, NHS England has developed the Be Body Aware platform, introducing symptom awareness messaging on to specific consumer products and sharing helpful NHS advice in relevant spaces to encourage earlier cancer diagnosis. A key focus of these partnerships is to educate and encourage people to become ‘body aware’ and check themselves regularly for changes in their body that are not normal for them. These partnerships support the NHS in our drive towards the earlier diagnosis of cancer.

To achieve this, we want to normalise the mindset and simple behaviour of routine checking. Sharing a reminder and nudge for people in places and at times when they’re most likely to be thinking about, or able to make, a quick and simple check. Our body awareness partners assist the NHS to reach the public during relevant everyday moments such as,

• in bathrooms, shower-rooms, or at wash times
• both at home, but also in settings such as gym changing rooms
• also via symptom-specific messaging on relevant products such as underwear, toilet roll, urinal mats, and toiletries.

Find out more about our Body Awareness partners

Help us, help you

The ‘Help us, help you’ campaigns work to ensure that people know how and when to access NHS services. The various ‘Help us, help you’ campaign strands are designed to reassure the public that the NHS is here for us all and wants to see you when you need help.

Priorities evolve depending on greatest need and possible impact in any calendar year. We have a range of focuses, including but not limited to:

• using NHS 111 first when people have urgent, but non-life-threatening medical needs
• accessing mental health services such as NHS talking therapies
• raising awareness of cancer symptoms and encouraging early presentation leading to earlier diagnosis and improved outcomes for patients
• increasing the understanding of heart attack symptoms and the signs of a stroke and encouraging people to call 999 when symptoms appear
• encouraging people who have been invited to participate in NHS cancer screening programmes to come forward.

Find out more about our help us, help you partners

ASDA

Our partnership with ASDA has seen the introduction of important mouth cancer awareness messaging on their own-brand oral hygiene products available in over 500 stores across the country. The advice displayed on mouthwash and toothpaste encourages people to contact their GP or dentist if they notice any potential symptoms and includes a link to more detailed information about mouth and throat cancer on the NHS website.

The aim of the partnership is to raise awareness of symptoms that could indicate cancer, such as an ulcer that lasts for three weeks or more, a white or red patch in the mouth that does not heal within three weeks, a lump or swelling in the mouth, jaw or neck that lasts more than three weeks, and difficulty swallowing, chewing, or moving the jaw and tongue.

GLL – Better

GLL is the UK’s largest leisure charitable social enterprise, operating more than 240 leisure centres under the Better brand. In support of our drive for earlier cancer diagnosis, we’ve partnered together to share important NHS advice with gym-goers. Eye-catching mirror stickers have been displayed in changing rooms featuring the message ‘Check you out’ and ‘Know what’s normal for you’, before reminding people that if something in their body doesn’t feel right, to contact their GP practice.

Our partnership has been extended to support other NHS priorities also, including stroke symptom awareness, advice on when to access NHS 111 services and breast cancer screening.

Everyone Active

Everyone Active operate more than 230 leisure centres across England and we are working together in support of NHS earlier cancer diagnosis aims. Collaborating to encourage people using Everyone Active venues to learn more about the signs and symptoms of cancer and to be body aware. Centres have introduced mirror stickers in changing rooms and placed helpful ‘Know the signs’ posters on the inside of toilet cubicle doors, sharing some key symptoms of cancer you might notice while using the bathroom.

Morrisons

Morrisons has teamed up with NHS England to focus on customer awareness around the signs and symptoms of cancer. Through the introduction of fabric selfcare-labels stitched into Nutmeg’s men’s and women’s underwear ranges, this first-of-its-kind partnership encourages people to spot the potential symptoms of breast and testicular cancer, and to contact their GP for a check-up if concerned.

P-Wave

P-Wave, a leading air freshener brand, is supporting the NHS in the drive for earlier diagnosis of cancers.

In partnership, we printed an important body awareness message – “Blood in your pee? Contact your GP practice – on urinal mats.

The urinal mats have been spotted across the country and the initiative has been widely supported across many sectors, with the awareness message now appearing in thousands of public toilets including in football stadiums, pubs, restaurants, workplaces and live music venues.

Parkwood Leisure

Working with partners Lex Leisure CIC, Legacy Leisure and Creating Active Futures, Parkwood manage 76 sites across a mix of leisure centres, golf courses, outdoor venues and theatres. A core part of Parkwood Leisure’s mission is to encourage happier and healthier communities and in partnering with NHS England we are able to amplify key health messages across the estate.

Tesco

The UK’s leading grocery retailer is supporting NHS earlier diagnosis efforts by introducing symptoms messaging on the outer packaging across their Own Brand toilet paper. Helping millions of households learn more about possible symptoms of cancer that you may notice while using the toilet.

Customers and more than 330,000 Tesco employees may also spot a ‘Know the signs’ poster installed within the public toilet facilities across Tesco stores in England. In addition, Tesco has incorporated body awareness messaging onto the outer cascade and fabric care label of their F&F men’s underpants range.

Band of Builders

73% of UK builders experience mental health problems every month and the team at Band of Builders run initiatives across the country, speaking to workers on construction sites directly encouraging conversations about mental health. NHS Talking Therapies has been highlighted by the Band of Builders team at trade shows, building sites and via social media, signposting to services available via the NHS.

Basketball England

Basketball England created bespoke assets to support our NHS 111 campaign featuring basketball players. The content encouraged people in the basketball community to use 111 if they need urgent medical help but were not sure where to go. Together we reached the basketball community nationwide via newsletter inclusions and social media posts.

Boots

Boots features NHS content and assets on their Health Hub, which provides healthcare advice to their customers and proactively support a range of our Help us, help you campaigns.

British Barbers Association

The British Barbers’ Association is the leading association for the barbering industry in the UK. With their support, NHS England campaigns are shared regularly via their Barbers’ Digest to members. Together we value the trusted relationship that many members of the public have with their barber, working together to share important health and awareness messaging, empowering the men and women behind the clippers around the country.

Google

Google has enabled improvements to the evaluation of our Help Us Help You Cancer campaign activity, leading to optimisation of our campaign media strategies.

National Housing Federation

The National Housing Federation shares campaign assets and information with its housing association members who provide homes for around six million people.

Neighbourhood Watch

Through our partnership with Neighbourhood Watch, an NHS 111 message has been included on the back of their window stickers and is visible to people in their homes. The partnership encourages the use of 111 online or to call 111 when medical help is needed.

Numed Healthcare

Numed Healthcare shares NHS campaigns content and resources for display on digital screens in primary care settings across the country. Their support ensures NHS campaigns such as stroke symptoms, NHS 111, cancer awareness and pharmacy have been reaching the public. The digital screens have had millions of plays and the NHS relationship with Numed forms an invaluable part of our national campaign strategy.

Royal Mail

Working together to raise awareness amongst 137,000 Royal Mail staff across areas such as mental health and reminding the workforce what support is available.

SAGA

Saga is a specialist provider of products and services to people aged over 50 in the UK. We worked together in support of the NHS Stroke symptoms campaign, creating a bespoke crossword and wordsearch sharing the key symptoms of a stroke and reminding people that, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999. The puzzles were launched to coincide with Stroke Prevention Day and were supported by articles in the Saga newsletter and magazine.

Stagecoach

Stagecoach, the UK’s largest bus and coach operator, came on board in 2023 to help raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer.

The partnership saw a bespoke blue NHS liveried double-decker bus visiting areas across the country where early diagnosis rates for cancer are among the lowest.

Messaging on the bus highlighted improved survival rates among those who seek help at the earliest opportunity.