Alumni newsletter- February 2024
This page contains all the content from the second alumni newsletter.
Continue below to hear all about:
- Apply for our Primary Care Programme
- Our Boys need Bins campaign
- Our new Clinical Advisory Group members
- An MBE nomination
- Upcoming events to get involved in
Currently recruiting for our Primary Care Programme!
Taking place later this year, this programme is aimed at those working within primary care who want to drive change in prostate cancer services.
Boys Need Bins
1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer, and as many as 60% of men treated with surgery experience urinary incontinence. In general, 1 in 25 men aged over 40 will experience some form of urinary leakage each year.
Despite these significant statistics, and the UK’s ageing population, men are often left with nowhere safe and hygienic to dispose of their sanitary waste in the men’s toilets. This has a deep impact on men, who are left feeling embarrassed, stressed and isolated. It shouldn’t be this way.
This is why we started the #BoysNeedBins campaign to raise awareness about this issue, campaigning for new legislation for the provision of at least one sanitary bin in men’s toilets, and striving for more support for men on this issue.
Read on to see how other healthcare professionals are getting involved!
We have met the fantastic Urology team from the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, one of the first Trusts to get involved with the campaign. Their Urology CNS, Rachel, attended our Parliamentary event in Westminster to speak with the relevant stakeholders and show the Trust’s support for the campaign. They have pushed for sanitary bins in all men’s toilets at the Royal Derby Hospital, and they continue to raise awareness about the campaign.
The staff at South Tees Hospital have been incredibly proactive on the campaign and have implemented sanitary bins in all their Education Centre men’s toilets.
The Association of Continence Professionals West Midlands Branch will be running a study day on 24 March to focus on male incontinence, for a healthcare professional audience. One of our Policy & Health Influencing team members will be attending to speak about the campaign.
One of the Urology Staff Nurses raised Boys Need Bins in a Shared Governance team meeting after hearing about it on a study day. Realising the importance of the campaign from working in Urology, they decided to act. They will be creating a display with information on the campaign to help raise awareness about the issue, which will be put up in various toilets, display areas and waiting areas across the whole Trust.
Will you support the #BoysNeedBins campaign? Find out more, and get involved today. If you have any questions or comments you would like to make, please contact the Health Influencing team.
Prostate Cancer UK's Clinical Advisory Group making strides in improving care.
In a significant step towards enhancing care for men with prostate cancer, our Clinical Advisory Group formed in January 2023, and has played a pivotal role in achieving notable milestones over the past year.
Facilitated by our Head of Improving Care Amy Rylance, the group, comprising fourteen clinical professionals, has been instrumental in supporting our initiatives to improve support and care standards for prostate cancer patients.
One of the key focus areas for the Clinical Advisory Group has been backing the efforts of our Early Diagnosis Lead, Andrew Seggie on the PSA Consensus as well as contributing to our broader work on active surveillance. In addition, the group has overseen our work aimed at improving care, including a strategic review of the Health Information Service, an evaluation of the evidence base for Focal therapy, and clarifying the threshold for accepting AI tools in prostate cancer diagnosis and management. Notably, members have also played a crucial role in developing a Prostate Cancer Care Pathway (PCCP).
Demonstrating their commitment further, the Clinical Advisory Group recently co-authored a paper for the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP). The paper takes an evidence-based approach to the contentious issue of whether to perform a rectal examination on men seeking a PSA test in GP surgeries, a topic that sparks intense debate and strong opinions.
The group's success has particularly interested our Clinical Champions alumni, many of whom are eager to continue their association, engagement, and support for us and our ongoing work. And so looking ahead, we have welcomed five new members. The journey from Clinical Champions to the Clinical Advisory Group marks a significant step in the collective effort to improve care standards for those affected by prostate cancer.
Alice Hartley MBE announcement
We are excited to announce that Clinical Champion Alice Hartley was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the King's New Year's Honours 2024. Alice's hard work as the Chair of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in their anti-bullying and undermining campaign #letsremoveit, addresses bullying in surgery and its knock-on effects on performance and patient safety.
Click the link below to find out more about the campaign, including ways to get support. There is also an e-module which anyone can access under 'resources to help change the culture'.
Upcoming innovation event!
We'll be exploring the insights gained from the STAMPEDE trial and what it means for patients living longer with advanced prostate cancer.