CMCA's Community Partnerships team wins national award

An initiative from the Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance (CMCA) that has supported community groups across the region to raise awareness of cancer has won a national health award.

The Health Creation Alliance recognised CMCA’s Community Partnerships programme with its Best Health Creating Cross Sector Programme award.

The programme is delivered in collaboration with Councils for Voluntary Service (CVS) organisations across Cheshire and Merseyside, working closely with local voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise (VCFSE) partners.

The participating CVS organisations include One Knowsley, VA Warrington, Cheshire West Voluntary Action, CVS Cheshire East, Halton and St Helens Voluntary Community Action, Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services, Sefton Council for Voluntary Services, and Wirral CVS.

Through the programme, Social Action Leads are funded to work with community groups to share vital information about cancer signs and symptoms and to encourage uptake of screening, helping to detect cancer earlier when treatment is more effective.

The initiative has grown from an initial pilot developed by One Knowsley, St Helens and Halton VCA and Warrington Voluntary action and is now embedded in the VCFSE Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Transformation Programme, led by VSNW.  

Racheal Jones, One Knowsley CEO and VS6 partner, said:

“We know that people are more likely to engage with important health information when it comes from trusted voices within their own community.

“Through this programme, we have seen grassroots groups stepping forward to support one another and reduce fear around cancer. I am incredibly proud of what this partnership has achieved and the difference it continues to make to people’s lives.”

While more people in Cheshire and Merseyside die from cancer than the England average, early diagnosis rates have improved significantly in recent years, moving from below the England average in 2019 to slightly above in 2024. The Community Partnerships programme has played an important role in this progress, demonstrating the power of partnership between the NHS and the VCFSE sector in tackling health inequalities and improving outcomes for local people.