George welcomes online Melanoma tool
Andrew George, right, pictured with Michael Searle, Melanoma UK supporter and Gillian Nuttall, Founder of Melanoma UK
West Cornwall MP, Andrew George, has welcomed the launch of Melanoma UK and the Melanoma Dashboard. Mr George attended a launch event on Tuesday 3rd February 2015 in the House of Commons with constituent, Michael Searle, who is a supporter of Melanoma UK. Melanoma rates are especially high in Cornwall. Malignant melanoma is one of the top ten cancers in the UK for both men and women and over the last 25 years, rates of melanoma have risen faster than any of the other cancers in this group.
The Melanoma Dashboard is a new online tool that brings together information allowing patients to find their local melanoma services and compare how services in their area perform against the rest of the country. Mr George was able to view specific melanoma data available for West Cornwall which means that patients will now be able to access all the information they need in one place.
Mr George said, “The level of public awareness of melanoma continues to be a problem and more needs to be done to ensure patients, the public and health professionals are equipped with the right information about the disease to access the support they need and improve outcomes. It’s great news that Melanoma UK have launched a new tool which will allow people to find information on Melanoma and its treatment.”
Gill Nuttall, Founder of Melanoma UK said: “In creating the Melanoma Dashboard, we hope that patients and the public will be better equipped with information about melanoma and specialist care services and support in their area. By highlighting variation in incidence and mortality, it is also an essential way of showing where further work is needed and where services can be improved.”