New stop smoking centres

1:36pm Thursday 25th September 2008

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TWO new drop-in clinics to help people stop smoking have been launched in Salisbury.

They were announced this week as health chiefs approved a strategy for tackling cancer in Wiltshire.

This includes the introduction of two government-funded programmes - screening to improve detection of bowel cancer, and vaccinations for schoolgirls against the human papilloma virus, which causes most cases of cervical cancer.

This autumn, girls of 12 and 13 are being offered vaccinations by school nurses, and a catch-up programme for older girls up to 18 will begin next autumn.

The most recent figures show that overall, fewer people in the county are dying from cancer, but cases of the disease are rising, and at 108 per 100,000 people, are higher than the average for the Southwest.

Wiltshire also has a higher than average rate for malignant melanoma, which accounts for three per cent of cancer cases, while other skin cancers account for another 27 per cent.

The strategy, accepted by Wiltshire Primary Care Trust's board at a meeting in Salisbury, highlighted the need for a local programme targeted at youngsters, parents and outdoor workers, highlighting the dangers of too much sun.

The report also spoke of an urgent need to increase capacity in radiotherapy, both in staffing and equipment, and for more investment in breast screening.

Wiltshire's joint director of public health Maggie Rae spoke of the need to balance prevention with early diagnosis and treatment.

She said: "Although more people than ever are surviving cancer, more are also contracting it, as lifespans increase."

But she stressed: "The plain facts are that over 50 per cent of all cancers are lifestyle-related - and smoking, alcohol and obesity are the big three areas we need to target."

The stop smoking clinics, where no appointment is needed, are open every Tuesday at Salisbury City Centre Children's Centre in St Edmunds Church Street, from 12.30-2pm, and at Bemerton Heath Neighbourhood Centre, Pinewood Way, from 3-4.30pm.