CRUK and Dorset Cancer Network
Skin cancer kills more men than women, with those aged 50 and over at most risk. In March 2011, Cancer Research UK and Dorset Cancer Network asked us to take an existing creative route and deliver three different kinds of intervention to tackle the issue locally:
- Direct mail – used in North Dorset
- Community engagement and roadshow – used in Weymouth and Portland
- Hit squads (street teams) and advan – used in Christchurch
- Control (no intervention) – used in Purbeck
The aim was to measure the cost-effectiveness of each approach.
Results would, in part, be measured by presentations and referrals at GP surgeries. Because practitioners are so busy, we developed innovative data gathering tools that made things really easy for them. As a result, two-thirds of GPs provided us with data.
The interventions delivered large uplifts in awareness, presentations and referrals relative to the control region. Overall, there was an uplift of 135% in 2 week wait referrals for April /May 2011 across the intervention areas compared to the same period in 2010.
Evaluation showed that direct mail performed best across all cost-effectiveness measures. This is perhaps not surprising, given that it reached five times as many men at less than half the cost of other interventions. The community engagement and roadshow also performed well, with the highest conversation rate from interactions to presentations.
