The idea came from Heather Kennedy, a community nurse who moved to the island last year.
‘Driving around this gorgeous island, I would see men working out in the garden with their tops off and, as you passed by again, you would see them getting redder. Some of the things I have seen in my time linked to skin cancer had a real effect on me, so I did some investigation into what could be done.’
Instances of malignant melanoma (the most aggressive and life-threatening skin cancer) in Guernsey are higher than in England. An age-standardised rate of 69 per 100,000 people will experience the condition compared with 42 in the South West and 31 in England more widely. The most recent rates between males and females on the island have seen a decrease among women yet an increase in incidents of malignant melanoma for males.
As they have been driving to appointments in recent weeks, Mrs Kennedy said, she and her colleagues have already been trying to have the conversation about sun protection with workers on the roadside. ‘It’s about blocking the harmful UV rays, ideally with a hat or T-shirt as well as sun cream, but at the very least sun cream.’
They say they have received a supportive response overall, with most men being open to hearing about how to avoid the dangers.
‘Men are slightly more at risk, we feel – for instance, they don’t have an in-built SPF in a moisturiser that women are more likely to use.’
Health promotion officer for cancer prevention Di Mathews said: ‘This is an excellent community response to a health problem. The nurses are precisely the right people to be giving advice, perhaps a leaflet and some sun cream to outdoor workers while they make their way around the island on their normal rounds. This is a really good example of using time efficiently and hopefully preventing some future skin cancers.’
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