The City of Wolverhampton Council and the Black Country and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group have teamed up with cancer charities and NHS cancer specialists for the free information event which will highlight the importance of people going for breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening when they are invited to do so.
Experts will be on hand to explain the tests and answer questions, fears or concerns that people may have which are stopping them taking up their invite.
Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: "Ultimately, the goal of the event is to spread the message of the importance of attending preventative screening checks when they are invited to do so.
"In most cases, people will not have cancer but, if it turns out they do, the chances of being able to treat it successfully are greatly enhanced by early diagnosis.
"We hope that, by being able to explain how the tests are conducted and answering any questions people may have, residents will be less concerned about going for a test when it is time to do so."
Anyone registered with a GP as female will be invited for NHS breast screening every 3 years between the ages of 50 and 71. They will receive a letter in the post inviting them.
Everyone aged 60 to 74 years who is registered with a GP and lives in England is automatically sent an NHS bowel cancer screening kit every 2 years.
People aged under 25 will be invited for cervical screening up to 6 months before they turn 25. Between the ages of 25 and 49 they will be invited every 3 years, while from 50 to 64 they will be invited every 5 years. Those aged 65 or older will be invited only if one of their last 3 tests were abnormal.
The cancer screening drop in session takes place in The Community Hub, on the Lower Mall of the Mander Centre, between 10am and 3pm on Friday.
Dr Salma Reehana, local GP and Clinical Chair for the Black Country and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Early detection is the best form of defence against cancer, which is why screening tests are so important. They can detect cancers at an early stage and in some cases, even prevent cancers from developing in the first place.
“I would urge people to take up any invite you receive from the NHS for breast, bowel or cervical screening and if you have any symptoms that you’re worried could be cancer, please don't delay in coming forward – your GP will want to see you."
This week's event is the latest public health collaboration between the council and the clinical commissioning group, following a recent drop in session which saw more than 60 residents benefit from a free NHS health check at Newhampton Arts Centre.
