Alumni newsletter - October 2024
This page contains all the latest news and updates from the Improvement Programmes Team.
Join us for our 2025 Alumni Event!
Following the success of our alumni event earlier this year, we’ve decided to do it all over again. So mark your calendars for Friday 9 May 2025 and get ready to join us!
Next year’s theme, ‘Thriving Through Change’, promises to deliver even more inspiring and engaging content.
We’ll be hosting a day of interactive activities, leadership discussions and insights from our expert colleagues at Prostate Cancer UK, who’ll be sharing their experiences of leading improvement in a new political space.
“We explored the challenges and opportunities that exist in prostate cancer, and had the kind of inspiring and informative discussions that just don't happen when you're sat at a desk.”
Joe Woollcott - Head of Health Policy, Education and Awareness
Don't miss this opportunity!
We look forward to welcoming you once again!
Ensuring Equity in Communication with Black Men at Risk
October is Black History Month and at Prostate Cancer UK we’re committed to building an inclusive approach that recognises the unique needs of Black men. We believe this awareness is key to addressing health inequalities.
In healthcare, one size does not fit all. It is especially important to recognise this when it comes to speaking to Black men about prostate cancer. It’s not just about respect, it’s also about cultural sensitivity, which is a critical element in building trust, improving engagement, and ultimately saving lives.
Despite 1 in 4 Black men being diagnosed with prostate cancer, many are reluctant to seek early screening. Engaging Black men about their health, especially on prostate cancer, means more than just sharing clinical information. It needs an understanding of cultural barriers, of historical mistrust in healthcare, and of the particular ways that views of masculinity are affected by health issues. Cultural stereotyping and societal expectations mean many Black men don't want to discuss their diagnosis or seek support outside their family, mates and close community, especially when cancer affects intimate parts of the body, creating a significant barrier to seeking help and having an impact on their mental health.
For Black men, the stigma can be felt more deeply due to additional socio-cultural pressures to uphold hegemonic masculine standards within their communities, such as: being strong, being independent, being a leader and a provider, and having an active sex life. To tackle the taboos surrounding prostate cancer within Black communities, it’s important to share factual, relatable stories told by Black men about the side effects of treatment, such as how it affects their sex life, to help men recognise that they are not alone and empower them to seek the care they need.
For healthcare professionals, being aware of these cultural nuances is essential to delivering care for Black men, approaching conversations with empathy to increase trust which will lead to better health outcomes.
Ultimately, this approach will foster a cultural shift where Black men feel confident to engage in discussions about their health, check their risk and ask for a test if they choose to and navigate the emotional challenges of a prostate cancer diagnosis.
Why this matters now
Black men in the UK are under-represented in cancer screening trials, despite being at higher risk of prostate cancer. By being culturally sensitive in your clinical practice you’re not only addressing the gap in care, but actively playing a part in reducing health inequalities.
It’s essential that Black men feel understood and respected when they engage with healthcare professionals. And by being culturally inclusive , clinicians can play a pivotal role in changing outcomes for this high-risk group.
What you can do today
- Build in culturally relevant resources when speaking to Black men, offering information tailored to Black men, and ensuring the language you use reflects the cultural nuances and addresses common concerns.
- Involving Black men in the decision-making process about their health, which empowers them to take control of their own health journey.
- Continuous education and training on cultural competence and bias in clinical care. The more you understand about the communities you serve, the more effective your care will be.
Article written by Health Services, Equity & Improvement Intern; Funmilola Idowu
Faster Diagnosis Standards Programme
Now taking applications- starting March 2025!
Our Faster Diagnosis Standards programme will support you to implement effective change, reducing wait times from initial concern to accurate diagnosis and ensuring timely patient care.
Aligned with the NHS Faster Diagnosis Standard, our goal is to help NHS trusts meet the 28-day target for prostate cancer diagnosis, minimising patient anxiety and speeding up treatment.
You and a colleague are invited to apply together. This includes:
- clinical staff
- pathway trackers, project managers
- pathway managers from trusts and cancer alliances.
Clinical Champion success at UCLH's Festival of Excellence!
We’re proud to announce Clinical Champion Tarek Al-Hammouri won 1st place for Best Poster at UCLH’S Festival of Excellence Conference for his project: Understanding and Minimising Failure to Engage African-Caribbean Prostate Cancer Patients with Curative Treatment: The Buddy Scheme.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK with more than 52,000 diagnosed every year. When diagnosed early, it can usually be cured or monitored. However, a late diagnosis is associated with severe side effects of treatment and higher mortality rates. This is particularly important for men with African-Caribbean heritage, who are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer. They’re also more likely to experience disparities in diagnosis, treatment, and functional and oncological outcomes compared to other groups, with many patients dropping out of clinical follow up after being diagnosed.
Understanding the interplay of multiple cultural factors, including beliefs about the male role in the family, the use of traditional medicine and distrust in healthcare institutions, is critical to address these disparities. To do this, Tarek and the team at UCLH launched the ‘Prostate Cancer Buddy Scheme’, a project designed to provide tailored support to African-Caribbean patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Tarek is enrolled on our Clinical Champions Programme, our flagship course which empowers clinicians to develop their leadership skills and transform their services.
Bridging the gap in prostate cancer care for African-Caribbean men
The Buddy Scheme is a research initiative led by an enthusiastic team at the Department of Urology at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The team is led by Professor Greg Shaw MD – Robotic Urology Lead – along with Mr Tarek Al-Hammouri, a Prostate Cancer UK Clinical Champion, in collaboration with the Institute of Health and Social Care at London South Bank University, led by Professor Calvin Morley. The goal is to recruit and train culturally sensitive non-medical buddies to interact with patients, listen, alleviate concerns and provide verified health information resources.
Each patient is paired with a trained buddy who provides counselling and support. The buddy directs patients towards reliable sources of information and can access specialist support to address common concerns, such as erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence, which are critical issues for many patients with prostate cancer. Additionally, they can highlight research projects in which the patients would be eligible to participate and can spend time with the patient, often outside of the clinical environment, to discuss the issues which may be preventing the patients from accepting the treatments they’ve been offered. Feedback from patients and buddies is used to improve the programme.
Since January 2024, they’ve received 26 referrals to the Buddy Scheme. A healthcare assistant, Adegboyega Balogun, was the first buddy and successfully counselled patients, with nine having undergone treatment already. With the support from UCLH’s Medical Director, Professor , the buddy service has expanded into early detection of prostate cancer. UCLH’s buddy scheme now reaches out to African-Caribbean staff members who are concerned about prostate cancer and encourages them to have a PSA blood test. To support these men, Prof Shaw has written a letter which clearly outlines the increased risk of prostate cancer African-Caribbean men have and consequently their need to have a PSA blood test. The letter is for staff members to share with their GP, hopefully helping them to secure a test.
Tarek was motivated further when the Buddy Scheme won the award for the best project abstract at the UCLH Festival of Excellence conference in June 2024. This recognition highlights the importance and novelty of the work, which has exciting potential and is scalable.
They’ve also been offered funding from the UCLH charity to maintain the programme and are actively seeking other funding opportunities to develop and expand their work.
Having observed the positive feedback and success rate in engaging patients with the first buddy, Tarek and his team plan to recruit and train further buddies to provide support for more patients. Next steps include developing and evaluating a training programme for buddies and exploring ways to expand the scheme to other stages of the patient journey - and potentially other healthcare institutions. Patient-buddy interaction provides an unparalleled opportunity to gain insight into the complex interplay of factors associated with the reduced healthcare service engagement with African-Caribbean patients and communities. This will be essential in overcoming the current disparities in outcomes and will be the focus of their work.
The Buddy Scheme is more than just a support network; it is a vital initiative that bridges the gap between healthcare and the community. By connecting African-Caribbean men with culturally competent buddies, Tarek and his team can address critical barriers to treatment and care. This project has the potential to expand across the UK, becoming a scalable and self-propagating model that grows as more patients and communities become involved. Additionally, by shedding light on treatment delays and barriers to successful prostate cancer care treatment, the ultimate aims are to save more lives and improve patients' quality of life.
Feel inspired?
Sign up to be notified when Clinical Champions application open in November 2024!
Find out more
Use the link below to find out more about Tarek's work!
The One-to-One Peer Support service
A prostate cancer diagnosis can be a challenging and isolating experience for men and their loved ones to navigate, but they don’t have to face it alone. Our One-to-One Peer Support service was set up to provide anyone affected by prostate cancer with the opportunity to speak to a trained support volunteer over the telephone. All our volunteers have lived experience of prostate cancer. And we also have volunteers who know what it’s like to support a loved one through diagnosis, treatment and making difficult decisions.
David’s story
When David was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago, he had so many questions. How do I make a decision about treatment? How did other men feel after they’d made their choice? What side effects could there be and how will I deal with them?
Our One-to- One Peer Support service was there to help.
After speaking with a volunteer and hearing their experiences, David felt less anxious about his situation. “One thing that I gained from the service was the reassurance that men can normally go about their lives after treatment and manage any side effects. Men shouldn't underestimate the power of talking to one-to-one volunteers”.
What can patients talk about with our volunteers?
Our volunteers are here to listen to a patient’s issues and concerns, and share their own personal experiences of prostate cancer to support others. Patients can ask them about making treatment decisions, coping with side effects, how prostate cancer might affect their sex life, coping with the emotional impact of prostate cancer and so much more.
What difference does the service make for patients?
Through the One-to-One Peer Support service, we’ve offered support to hundreds of men and their loved ones. Speaking of his experience using the service, Chris said: “I think the service is a lifeline for what is a potentially distressing diagnosis. It enables those diagnosed to feel that they are not completely alone and that there is someone to go to for help and support. Until I spoke to a Prostate Cancer UK volunteer, I felt overwhelmed by it all.”
Connect your patients to others who’ve been through a similar experience by advising them to visit prostatecanceruk.org/one-to-one or call our Specialist Nurses on 0800 074 8383 and ask about One-to-One Peer Support.
