Summer 2023 PCN DES Event

What was this event about?

In this event you could hear from guest speakers about their PCN DES prostate cancer projects, as well as from our own Prostate Cancer UK Health Influencing staff about the support we can offer in implementing the PCN DES specification on prostate cancer. This event was very well attended and saw lots of engagement.

The Speakers 

Abigail Sifah  

Abigail Sifah is a Macmillan Primary Care Cancer Lead Nurse in the Hertfordshire & West Essex ICB who has a special interest in reducing health inequalities and increasing access to cancer services. Abigail has been supporting PCNs with the prostate cancer DES requirement by helping them to utilise the Prostate Cancer UK risk checker, as well as helping practice staff with resources such as scripts if patients call to ask about the PSA blood test. A lot of her PCN DES work started after she designed a programme for primary care on how to engage with diverse populations in cancer care. The first session was facilitated by Prostate Cancer UK and inspired many other projects delivered in Hertfordshire. Abigail also engages with local communities and works with patient participation groups to further raise awareness. 

Sharon Johnson 

Sharon Johnson is Worcester City’s PCN Cancer Care Coordinator, whose PCN area has a patient population of 130,000 patients. Sharon’s been working on the PCN DES since April 2023, which started by sending two text messages over a three-week period to men at high risk of prostate cancer. These texts included our risk checker and an invitation to book a PSA blood test appointment with a PCN. Sharon’s PCN is currently working closely with volunteers from Tackle and a local prostate cancer support group to make it easier to talk about prostate cancer, raise awareness, and bust some common myths.

Lubna Latif Curtis and Tayla Maloney

Lubna Latif Curtis and Tayla Maloney both work in Prostate Cancer UK's Health Influencing team and they've been meeting with PCNs since December 2022 to support them in delivering the PCN DES for prostate cancer. In the recording below you can hear all about their top tips to starting your own project. 

Do you have an exciting innovation or project to share?

If you'd like to share a project or innovation that you've led on, which has improved the prostate cancer pathway for men, please do get in touch. 

We're interested in hearing about projects including (but not limited to): 

• Prostate cancer risk awareness campaigns 
• Diagnosing prostate cancer earlier, e.g., the faster diagnostic standard, optimal timed pathway for prostate cancer and rapid diagnostics 
• Nurse-led triage 
• Implementation of mpMRI and LATP biopsy 
• Personalised care and supported self-management