SKCIN will be working in collaboration with Tesco in a mission to raise awareness of skin cancer prevention and early detection and the importance of sun safety in the UK.
As part of the initiative SKCIN will be supporting Tesco by training its pharmacy colleagues enabling them to confidently advise customers about UV exposure, skin cancer prevention and early detection, in addition to signposting customers to further information. The first part of this training will commence this week with a pilot programme delivered to pharmacists and pharmacy colleagues across four regions, before being rolled out to an additional 3,000 colleagues later in the year.
Today, Tesco also announced an incredible commitment toward tackling the rising incidence of skin cancer by permanently reducing the price of sun protection products in its Tesco Soleil sun care range by 20% - to cover the VAT. The bold move from the retailer came as research conducted by Tesco revealed that over half of UK adults think sun protection is expensive, with 31 per cent of parents saying they can’t always afford to apply sun cream to the whole family, and 44% of those admitting they have put sunscreen on their children, but not themselves or their partner because they can’t afford it. What’s more, 29% of those surveyed stated that they would wear sun protection daily if it was more affordable.
The move from the retailer to partner with the UK’s leading skin cancer awareness charity, SKCIN comes as further research revealed an evident need to educate the public on the dangers of over-exposure to UV and the importance of sun safety and skin cancer prevention, as over 19m UK adults admitted they don’t wear sun protection even when it’s sunny!
Oonagh Turnbull, Head of Health Campaigns, Tesco said: “We are proud to be working with SKCIN to raise awareness of sun-safety in the UK. We believe the safety of the nation’s skin should not be down to affordability, which is why we have permanently reduced the price of the sun protection products in our Soleil range by 20% to cover the cost of VAT. We are also delighted to work with SKCIN to help educate our Pharmacists and pharmacy colleagues through a new training programme that will launch this week to help them advise customers on the importance of skin cancer prevention and early detection.”
Marie Tudor, CEO of SKCIN said: “Skin cancer statistics are compelling and with rates rapidly increasing we are delighted that Tesco has chosen to prioritise the health of its customers with this huge financial commitment and educational initiative.
“Millions of people visit Tesco every day, so by equipping Tesco’s pharmacy teams with this knowledge, Tesco can help educate customers on the importance of skin cancer prevention and skin surveillance, in addition to making sun protection more accessible by reducing the cost.
“We have been bowled over by the enthusiasm, commitment and dedication to the partnership by the Tesco team and we feel confident that together we can help address this major public health concern by significantly increasing awareness - helping protect the health of the nation. We look forward to a productive and proactive partnership that will help us in our mission to save many lives and combat the significant burden skin cancer places on the NHS.”
For more information contact: marie.tudor@skcin.org
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