Mirrors in local leisure centres are now promoting an important health message

NHS messages prompting gym-goers and swimmers to look out for potential signs of cancer are appearing on mirrors in the changing rooms of leisure centres across Enfield.

The eye-catching stickers feature 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.

The scheme is the latest push by the NHS to find cancers at an earlier stage, with Better the first leisure provider in the UK to focus on cancer awareness – joining a number of other partners, such as supermarkets and washroom hygiene specialists, to highlight cancer messages to the public in relevant everyday situations.

Operating under the ‘Better’ brand, GLL is the not-for-profit social enterprise that has been running Albany, Southbury, Southgate and Edmonton leisure centres on behalf of Enfield Council since December last year, although Edmonton has remained closed over that time after serious maintenance problems were discovered.

The new NHS initiative comes as a survey by Better found that only 44% of respondents in London check their bodies regularly (once a month) for physical changes and 10% don’t check at all.

Professor Peter Johnson, National Clinical Director for Cancer at NHS England, said: “Finding cancer early is key to successful treatment and survival, but this means that we need people who experience symptoms to come forward as soon as they spot them. This is why it’s vital that people are aware of their bodies, take notice of a change that isn’t normal for them and get it checked out immediately.

“This partnership with Better means that we’re able to reach more people to remind them to check themselves at a time and a place where they are able to do so. It’s a simple thing that anyone can do, but it really can save your life.”

Vishal Karia, GLL’s partnership manager, adds: “Our aim is to improve health and wellbeing in our local community, and we’re delighted to be partnering NHS England in this vital campaign.

“The survey we conducted clearly indicates a need to raise awareness of potential signs of cancer and the mirror stickers will hopefully act as a timely reminder to our customers to check themselves regularly.”

After struggling with long cancer waiting lists since the pandemic, the NHS met its 28-day ‘faster diagnosis’ standard for the second month in a row in June, with more than three quarters of patients (76.3%) – almost 200,000 people – receiving the all clear or a definitive diagnosis within four weeks.

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