Peer support service

Talk to someone who has been there.

What is the peer support service?

Feeling like no one understands what you are going through and coping with the everyday effects of prostate cancer can be isolating. It can be difficult to come to terms with a diagnosis or to make a treatment choice. Sometimes you simply need space to talk freely about how you are feeling. If you are supporting someone with a diagnosis, then you may also feel like you need support.

Our peer support service offers anyone confronted with prostate cancer the opportunity to talk with a trained support volunteer. Many people find talking with someone who has been there really helpful. Our volunteers can listen to concerns and share their own personal experience to support others in a similar situation.

How do I access peer support?

Please contact our specialist nurses on 0800 074 8383 (Text relay prefix - 18001) for more information or to ask to speak to a Peer Support Volunteer.

Are you a diagnosed man?

Our male volunteers can offer support to men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer by sharing their experience of the following:

Active surveillance
Open surgery
Keyhole surgery
Robotic surgery
Brachytherapy (permanent seed)
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy as second or salvage treatment
High Intensity Focussed Ultrasound (HIFU) as a first or primary treatment
Cryotherapy as a primary or salvage treatment
Hormone therapy

They can also talk about their experience of the impact of prostate cancer on relationships, sex life, side effects of treatment and issues around getting back to work.

Are you a partner, friend or family member?

We also have volunteers who are partners of men diagnosed with prostate cancer. They can offer support to other partners, friends and family in the following areas:

Supporting a man with early stage prostate cancer
Supporting a man with advanced disease
The impact of prostate cancer on their relationship and sex life
Losing someone to prostate cancer

Confidentiality

If you would like to speak to one of our trained volunteers, our specialist nurses will ask for a few details from you to pass onto the volunteer. These details will be stored on our confidential database. Anything you discuss with our trained volunteers will remain confidential.

What people have said about the peer support service?

"The man I spoke to knew exactly how I was feeling. Talking to someone who had been through treatment and was doing well took some of the fear away"

"My husband initially shut me out; it was his way of coping. Talking to another wife was enormously helpful and a real support for me."