From Monday 21 August, Morrisons shoppers across the North West will find NHS advice on underwear labels, urging them to contact their GP practice if they spot potential symptoms of breast or testicular cancer.

The Nutmeg branded underwear featuring NHS advice will be in 240 Morrisons stores nationwide, including in 30 stores in the North West region. The labels will first appear in boxer shorts, followed by crop top bras in the coming months.

The NHS guidance will be displayed on the fabric labels alongside the standard sizing and care information. There will also be a QR code on the packaging and tags linking customers through to more detailed information on breast and testicular cancer on the NHS website.

Morrisons is the first UK supermarket to roll-out the new labels and this first-of-its-kind partnership for the NHS is the latest move in a significant drive to ensure people are aware of the signs and symptoms of cancer.

If people notice symptoms that could be cancer, they should contact their GP practice and come forward for checks as early as possible so they can get the all-clear or, in some cases, a cancer diagnosis sooner -to give them the best chance of surviving the disease.

Sue Makin, who is from Aintree was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer after a finding a lump while on holiday.

She said: “I felt a really hard lump. I’ve had cysts before, so at first I wasn’t worried, but then within two weeks I started to notice puckering of the skin, and dimpling.

“Triple negative is a very aggressive form of cancer, but because I’d found it so early it was small. And after a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, I am cancer free.

“It’s so important to go to your doctor if your worried about anything, the sooner you can start treatment the better chance of survival.

“I think the Morrisons campaign, and anything that raises awareness of cancer symptoms and knowing your body is a great thing.”

Symptoms of breast cancer can include a lump or change in the look, shape or feel of one or both breasts, while symptoms of testicular cancer can include painless swelling or a lump in one of the testicles or any change in shape or texture of the testicles.

National figures show that 91% of women survive for at least five years if diagnosed at the earliest stage of breast cancer, where the tumour is small (stage one), whereas this reduces to 39% where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body (stage four).

While nearly all men survive testicular cancer, if the cancer has spread, survival for five years or more can reduce to 65%.

Dr Michael Gregory, Medical Director for NHS England – North West said: “This partnership with a national supermarket will hopefully reach thousands of people in the North West, encouraging them to understand their bodies, so they can recognise new or unexplained changes that might be a sign or symptom or cancer, earlier, when it is easier to treat.

“Survival of both breast and testicular cancer is at an all time high, and we’re seeing more people diagnosed at stages one and two than ever before – but we want to continue this progress and this partnership with Morrisons is just one of many ways we are ensuring people are aware of potential cancer symptoms.

“I want to urge everyone to be aware of their bodies, notice anything that is unusual for you, and if you’re concerned get checked out as soon as you can. Early diagnosis saves lives.”

Thanks to extensive NHS campaigns and early diagnosis initiatives, a higher proportion of cancers than ever before were diagnosed at an early stage in the year 2022-2023 –58% of cancers diagnosed at stage one or two compared to 56% before the pandemic.

The NHS is harnessing the very latest technology and initiatives such as community lung health checks and trials of a blood test that can detect up to 50 cancers before symptoms appear, to diagnose cancer earlier and achieve its goal of diagnosing three quarters of all cancers at stage one or two by 2028.

The NHS is also accelerating the use of innovations like teledermatology for diagnosing skin cancer, which is already seeing some areas double the number of patients seen and speeding up diagnosis and treatment for tens of thousands with skin cancer.

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Notes to editors

To find your nearest Nutmeg concession please visit: https://my.morrisons.com/storefinder/

For more information about how NHS England works with partners on national campaigns visitengland.nhs.uk/campaign-partnerships

List of Morrisons stores currently stocking our partnership products in the North West:

• Barrow Strand
• Belle Vale
• Blackburn Railway Road
• Blackpool
• Bolton Atlas
• Bolton Dawes Street
• Chorley
• Crewe
• Denton
• Dukinfield Foundary Street
• Eccles
• Ellesmere Port
• Hyde
• Kendal
• Leigh
• Leyland
• Morecambe
• Oldham
• Preston Riversway
• Rochdale
• Southport Winter Gardens
• Speke
• St Helens
• Stockport Bredbury
• Swinton
• Thornton Cleveleys
• Warrington
• Whitefield
• Widnes
• Winsford