February Health Campaigns

This February there will be lots of opportunities for pharmacy teams to get involved and help raise money and awareness of two important topics

Time to Talk Day: 3 February

Statistics show that one in four people experience a mental health problem in any given year. Time to Talk Day is designed to help, by encouraging people to come together to talk, listen and change lives. 

Run by various charities across the UK, in partnership with the Co-op, Time to Talk Day falls on 3 February this year. "We want to create a society where everyone feels comfortable talking about mental health – whenever they like," say the organisers. "Unfortunately, many people still don’t feel comfortable talking openly – fearing judgment from others. By asking those with a mental health problem and those without, we hope people will find it a positive experience that they will continue."

There are many ways for pharmacy teams to get involved with the day. From planning community events and hosting a 'lunch and learn' session at work to putting up posters around the pharmacy, any efforts to open up conversations will be extremely worthwhile.

Rethink Mental Illness offers these top tips to make sure you’re approaching conversations in a helpful way:

1. Ask questions and listen
2. Think about the time and place
3. Don’t try to 'fix it'
4. Treat people the same way
5. Be patient.

For more ideas and to get a free resource pack, log on to the website.

World Cancer Day: 4 February

Held annually on 4 February, World Cancer Day aims to raise worldwide awareness, improve education and catalyse personal, collective and government action against cancer.

The initiative is led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), whose vision is a world where millions of preventable cancer deaths are saved and access to life-saving cancer treatment is available for everyone.

This year’s theme is "Close the Care Gap", and is all about understanding and recognising the inequalities in cancer care across the world. UICC is focusing on the following facts:

• Inequity in cancer care costs lives
• People who seek cancer care hit barriers at every turn
• Income, education, location and discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability and lifestyle are just a few of the factors that can negatively affect care
• The gap affects everyone
• These barriers are not set in stone. They can be changed. World Cancer Day 2022 will encourage people to challenge the status quo and help reduce stigma by listening to people living with cancer and letting their experiences guide thoughts and actions.

UICC believes this is how we can begin to imagine a better way of doing things and build a fairer vision of the future: "A future where people live healthier lives and have better access to health and cancer services, no matter where they are born, grow, age, work or live".

Pharmacy teams can get involved in a variety of ways, from social media and in store campaigns to contacting local politicians to ask them to show commitment. You can also take part in a "21 Days to Impact" challenge, and encourage others to do the same. Everyone who signs up will receive daily inspiration emails and practical guidance. This year’s 21 Days challenges are Close the care gap, Focus on your health, and Eliminate cervical cancer. Find out more here.