The NHS and Morrisons have teamed up to help warn people about cancer. Morrisons own products such as shower gels and bath products will now have warnings to encourage people to look for lumps and bumps that are unusual on their bodies. Shoppers are being encouraged to look for skin changes, swelling and changes in their bodies to catch signs of cancer early.

Prompts have been added to a range of nine different Morrisons own products and they say things like ‘know the signs’ and ‘be body aware’. The products are for sale from this month in around 450 Morrisons stores nationwide. The campaign highlights the need for catching symptoms early and suggests that although generally, bodily changes are likely to be nothing serious, occasionally it can be cancer and catching symptoms early is vital in supporting treatment and a healthy outcome.

Morrisons is the first supermarket to roll out this kind of scheme and there are cases that support the need for these messages. Ed, 27 caught testicular cancer early by getting it checked promptly and he is now an advocate for a men’s health charity, Movember to encourage others to come forward early if they notice changes in their body.

Spotting cancer early can prevent it from spreading so daily reminders whilst we are in the shower could be a critical step to saving lives.

1. Why did the NHS choose bath and shower products for this cancer-awareness campaign instead of using only traditional advertising methods?

2. How do the experiences of Ed Baldwin and Stacey Gordon support the NHS campaign’s message about early cancer detection?

3. In what way is the Morrisons partnership described as “first-of-its-kind,” and how does it build on earlier NHS awareness efforts?