Join our Support and Influencing Advisory Group
Applications now closed. Thanks to everyone who expressed an interest.
Support and influencing describes our work to:
- provide men with the information and support they need to navigate prostate cancer, through our Specialist Nurse, health information, and 1:1 Peer Support services
- improve the care that men receive, through our education and training for health professionals
- push for high-quality, equal care for all men wherever they live in the UK, through our policy activity
This work is delivered by an expert team of clinicians, academics, data scientists, educationalists, and policy specialists.
But we can’t do it without you.
We’re committed to involving men with prostate cancer right at the heart of our work, and the Support and Influencing Advisory group is your opportunity to steer our strategic approach to this critical, impactful work.
Commitment
3 x one-hour virtual meetings a year
1 x Advisory Group member will attend a meeting of our Support and Influencing Committee on a rotating basis (also 3 times a year)
2 year term
Why our Support and Influencing work is vital
We support men through our specialist nurses, our one-to-one volunteers and by supplying accurate and reliable information about prostate cancer. We influence those who make decisions about care at national and local level and improve care through our education and training programmes.
We work to provide men with -
Many men don’t know the risk factors of prostate cancer. And when they do, they often don’t know what to do next. We want a world where every man over 45 in the UK understands their risk of prostate cancer and has the information and tools to navigate it. That means millions more taking our risk checker in the next few years. We’ll build on our risk-awareness work with NHS to take a targeted approach to the online risk checker, collaborating and learning with those who understand these unique challenges: black men, northern men, Scottish men, healthcare professionals and powerful partners – to get our risk-checker into the hands of men in the hardest to reach places.
Black men are at highest risk of prostate cancer and most likely to die. We urgently need to improve our communication with Black men and increase their representation in trials. We’ve established partnerships with Black community groups, and we’ll build on these networks using focus groups, events, webinars and an expanding team of Black volunteers and ambassadors to lead us. We also know Scottish men and Northern English men are more likely to die from prostate cancer than men in London. This isn’t good enough. We want equal care everywhere. We want a world where ethnicity, location or income don’t dictate your chances of survival, quality of life or quality of care. We’ll work to get there with campaigns that resonate with men most at risk, and research that understands more about the root causes of these inequalities – the genetic, environmental, political or cultural factors influencing men's health.
Unlike breast or lung cancer, there’s no screening programme for prostate cancer. We want a world where every man at risk is invited for regular, accurate tests to help catch prostate cancer early enough for a cure, with no man diagnosed too late. New evidence shows that we’re closer than ever to a UK-wide screening programme because of scanning technology improved by your support. We’re seizing this moment. Over the next few years we’re making our biggest ever research investment to transform how we test for the disease and give every man the best chance of finding prostate cancer early enough for a cure.
We want a world where every man’s experience of navigating the disease is personal, expert-informed and empowering. We now offer specialist support if you’re having problems with your sex life, your mental health or money, and as we understand more about what men need, we’ll expand our services further to give every man personalised support every step of the way. And for many, that’ll be right up until they die.
We’ll continue to work closely with the NHS and our Clinical Champions to change our healthcare system so men are more involved in decisions and empowered to navigate prostate cancer. Whether that’s helping men to understand their risk, make the right choice about treatment or get the expertise they need to feel in control.
Role of the Advisory Group
We want to bring the voice of people with lived experience of prostate cancer to our work, and in particular the work of our Support and Influencing Committee, which is a subcommittee of the Board of Trustees.
This Committee is made up of our Trustees plus some expert members who bring specialist knowledge. It oversees our work to deliver Support and Influencing services and programmes, making sure they are on track, and are developed in a way that is culturally sensitive and inclusive of all parts of society.
The Group exists to ask questions, give advice, and offer insight about the upcoming Committee agenda, bringing patient voice and perspective to its work.
Key qualities of a Support and Influencing Advisory Group member
- Recent experience of prostate cancer diagnosis or treatment
- Can communicate with others, including those they disagree with
- Shares our commitment to improve NHS diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer
- Understands the importance of confidentiality in relation to discussions and materials
- Knowledge and understanding of patient, public and service user perspectives
- An ability to raise a wider range of viewpoints beyond their own personal experience
