This week, we joined charity sector colleagues and policy makers at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, using the opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges facing women diagnosed with ovarian cancer and to advocate for urgent policy change.
Why is it beneficial for charities to attend party conferences?
Party conferences are a key moment in the political calendar, offering charities a chance to engage directly with MPs, ministers, and stakeholders. For us, it’s a chance to ensure ovarian cancer is on the agenda and that women’s health remains a priority.
We had valuable conversations, including with Ashley Dalton MP, Minister for Public Health & Prevention, where we discussed our campaign calling on the Government to use cervical screening as a way to signpost women to information about gynaecological cancers that currently lack screening programmes -like ovarian cancer.
We were encouraged to hear the Minister acknowledge the importance of symptom awareness and the need to ensure more women know what to look out for. We’re hopeful that the upcoming national cancer plan will include a strong commitment to continuing awareness campaigns.
Conference is such a valuable opportunity for us to hear directly from policy makers. We know that the earlier a woman is diagnosed, the greater her chance of survival, yet delays accessing tests stop women from starting life saving treatment. I was pleased that throughout conference the government mentioned the importance of being able to access GP appointments and a timely diagnosis. We will continue to call for the diagnostic pathway to be shortened and better support and education for GPs.
Spotlight on women’s health
We also attended the Women’s Health Reception, hearing from Sarah Owen MP, Chair of the Women & Equalities Committee, and Dr Simon Opher MP, Chair of the APPG on Health.
We spoke with Sarah Owen MP about the barriers women face in accessing timely diagnoses and the critical role of awareness. We were especially pleased that Dr Simon Opher MP mentioned ovarian cancer in his speech, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis.
We discussed the need for better diagnostic tests and a shorter diagnostic pathway - and we’re thrilled that he agreed to support our campaign and sign our letter to the Minister.
What we're campaigning for right now
On 9 September, during Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month, we launched a new campaign calling on health bodies in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to make it clear that cervical screening does not detect ovarian cancer—a misconception held by nearly half of women in the UK.
Thanks to our campaigners, England has now updated its cervical screening information to reflect this. But we need the same change in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. And in England, we’re pushing for the inclusion of ovarian cancer symptoms in screening materials.
- Take action now – use our quick email template to contact your elected representative.
What’s next?
Following a week of powerful conversations, we’ll be working hard to turn these discussions into real action. If you’re passionate about driving change for everyone affected by ovarian cancer, we’d love you to join us.
