A team of Health Champions is helping to break down barriers around cancer awareness across the Isle of Wight by encouraging communities to speak more openly about early diagnosis, prevention and support.
The initiative forms part of Communities Against Cancer, a project delivered by charity Action Hampshire, which has recruited volunteers to help marginalised groups better access cancer information and NHS services.
Some communities can find cancer difficult to discuss, with cultural stigma, language barriers or past negative experiences with healthcare professionals preventing people from seeking medical advice or attending screenings.
To help tackle this, Health Champions work directly within their own communities, offering trusted support and encouraging conversations around signs, symptoms and prevention.
One of those champions is Caroline Diamond, Project Manager for StoneCrabs’ Out On An Island project, who is supporting the Isle of Wight’s LGBTQ+ community.
Caroline says that the LGBTQ+ community doesn’t always have a good relationship with medical professionals due to bad experiences in the past, such as misgendering and heteronormative assumptions.
Her role focuses on encouraging people to speak openly about cancer, understand the importance of early diagnosis and access support when needed.
The cause is also deeply personal for Caroline, who was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma in 2025.
With May marking Skin Cancer Awareness Month and the Isle of Wight attracting large numbers of sunseekers each year, she is now helping raise awareness of melanoma locally and has launched a dedicated support group for Islanders affected by the disease.
Kishor Patel, Project Lead for Communities Against Cancer, has said:
“Our Health Champions are an incredible team of individuals who understand their communities’ needs.
“They deliver cancer awareness sensitively and with compassion. If we can encourage people to look after their health and get signs and symptoms checked early, outcomes are often better.”
More information is available at https://actionhampshire.org.uk/about-us/our-projects/communities-against-cancer/.
According to the last ONS sexual orientation survey of the UK released on 9 December 2025, 93.4% of people (50.7 million) identified as heterosexual or straight in 2024, which is a similar proportion to 2019 (93.7%).
So it would appear that “heteronormative assumptions” are more heteronormative fact than assumptions.
As for the good relationship which leads to “bad experiences” due to “misgendering” by the medical profession.
Jennifer Melle, a registered nurse, who declined to use the preferred pronouns of a patient, a convicted male paedophile who wanted to identify as a woman, resulted in Melle being subjected to serious racial abuse over her skin colour and finally suspension by the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Thankfully, with legal action imminent, the cowardly Trust eventually confirmed Jennifer had done nothing wrong, and reinstated her.
There has been a Supreme Court Decision on this suject.
All the Minister for Women, Bridget Phillipson, had to do was sign it off and submit it to Parliament. But of course, as with all things Liebore, the “Minister for Women”, could not care less about women and Hospital Trusts up and down the country still ignore the Supreme Court Judgement.
Yes, Jennifer was eventually reinstated. However, even though she had her PIN reinstated as she was found not to have done anything wrong, her employer, an NHS Trust, still suspended her from her role while they ‘explored’ whether she was in breach of their ‘Visions and Values’ statement.
If the board of a Hospital is unable to distinguish between male and female, it makes you wonder whether the medical staff are capable at all.
What next? Funding to support people who identify as a dog. Funding to support differences in faith. Funding to support those who think the Earth is flat?
The NHS is already financially broken. All people want is access to a GP, a nurse, a Consultant, and a Surgeon. There has been too much money wasted already on quango projects.
Twenty-six years ago, if a person told you that they were a dog, or in the morning the opposite gender, or said, “Hi, I’m not binary – my pronouns are…..”, and by the afternoon referred themselves back to the gender they were born, they would have been admitted to a mental health institution. Yet, nowadays, if anyone challenges those types of unwell people, you are cancelled. As with the post listed, your career could be over.
Lesbian & Gay people don’t need something additional. What NHS Trusts need to do is educate. As the UK continues to recruit medical professionals from outside the country, there may increasingly be situations where people are offended. Everyone has core beliefs that are formed between the ages of 2.5 and 3. It could be cultural differences or religious beliefs. It is why I question whether health professionals have recruited the person with the skills, attributes, and values, rather than ‘ticking a DEI box’, which I’ve seen firsthand in many healthcare settings.
I am aware that since 2020 more people have died due to various cancers!
Could you explain how volunteers are wasting taxpayers money? Perhaps you don’t understand the concept of volunteering. Perhaps you should try it.
There is no lgbt stigma in the island cancer services. The whole team are thoughtful, professional and caring. BTW this is funded by a grant from the parent organisation. Another victim card, get a real job.
Volunteers. Lol
Shirking from their duties to volunteer more like.
I know a few volunteers in life and they are for real
some are in it for the perks.
The heat must be getting to you, take a cold
shower to cool off.
I have a better idea.
Why not form a team of Health Champions to
tackle the amount of NHS employees who are
shirking from home on full pay and also tackle the
amount of NHS staff sickness.
I HAVE AN IMMEDIATE CURE WITHOUT THE NEED FOR A
TEAM OF HEALTH CHAMPIONS. MY CURE IS MUCH CHEAPER
FOR “US” TAX PAYERS AND IT WOULD SAVE MILLIONS OF POUNDS
ON THE ISLAND AND BILLIONS OF POUNDS IF ROLLED OUT
ACROSS THE WHOLE COUNTRY.
Abolish full sick pay and only pay SSP.
AND THE NHS EMPLOYEES WHO WANT TO SHIRK
FROM HOME CAN, BUT THEY ONLY GET PAID FOR THE
DAYS THEY ACTUALLY GO INTO THE WORKPLACE.
THE WAITING LISTS WOULD GO DOWN AND RACHELS
BLACK HOLE WOULD DISAPPEAR!
JOB DONE, WHO NEEDS HEALTH CHAMPIONS
” ANOTHER WASTE OF TAX PAYERS MONEY “