What's New?
The Prostate Cancer Charter for Action launches the Coundown to Equality (12 March 2008)
The Prostate Cancer Charter for Action has launched the Countdown to Equality to reduce the number of men dying from prostate cancer and to improve the experience of those who develop it. We see no reason why the improvements in death rate and reported experience seen in other cancers should not be replicated in prostate cancer.
Although progress has been made, there are still too many inequalities in prostate cancer, both in terms of outcomes and the experience reported by men with the disease. We want to change this and the Countdown to Equality marks the launch of our new calls which we believe will make a real difference to the lives of all those affected by prostate cancer.
The Charter's new calls are focussed in four key areas:
1. Significantly reduce the number of men being diagnosed with prostate cancer which has already spread
2. Improve the cancer experience of men with prostate cancer to at least the level reported for other common cancers
3. Level up clinical outcomes across the country so that all NHS services match the current best
4. Plan effectively to deliver world class prostate cancer services in the future
The Countdown to Equality can be found here. Download a copy of the Charter's press release which explains some of the inequalities which we still see in prostate cancer here.
Please do contact the Charter on 020 7340 6240 if you have any queries.
Campaigners welcome publication of new cancer strategy (3 December 2007)
The Prostate Cancer Charter for Action has welcomed the publication of the Cancer Reform Strategy, which sets out the next steps for cancer services in England. Commenting on the publication of the CRS, a spokesman said:
"The CRS is an ambitious, comprehensive and well writeen document which opens up a number of exciting possibilites to improve the services available to me with prostate cancer."
"Promising policy has in the past sometimes been let down by weak implementation in some parts of the NHS. Therefore, if the potential of the CRS is to be realised, there will have to be a relentless focus on effective implementation. We are pleased that a significant section of the CRS is devoted to addressing this issue. The signatories to the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action stand ready to play their part, ensuring that the Department of Health and the NHS deliver on this exciting new strategy."
A briefing paper from the Charter on the CRS can be found here.
Charter report reveals inequalities in the provision of Clinical Nurse Specialists (19 November 2007)
The Prostate Cancer Charter for Action has published a new expert report, Because Men Matter - the case for clinical nurse specialists in prostate cancer, which reveals the inequalities in the provision of clinical nurse specialists to support men with prostate cancer.
The report recommends an 18 point action plan to address these issues, including greater investment in clinical nurse specialists, reform to the way in which they work and improvements in the support and training that is available for them. You can access a copy of the report here.
Draft clinical practice guidelines published
(31 July 2007)
NICE has published a draft clinical practice guideline for prostate cancer. Clinical guidelines are recommendations on the appropriate treatment and care of people with specific diseases and conditions. Guidelines help healthcare professionals in their work, but they do not replace their knowledge and skills.
The draft guideline can be read at: http://guidance.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=444691
Stakeholders can submit comments on the document by 25 September 2007 and it is anticipated that a final guideline will be published in February 2008.
Prostate Cancer Charter for Action welcomes appointment of new Cancer Minister
(16 July 2007)
The Prostate Cancer Charter for Action has congratulated Ann Keen MP on her appointment as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Health. The Charter had worked closely with her predecessor, Rosie Winterton, in the past and now looks forward to working with the new Minister to tackle the very particular challenges facing prostate cancer.
MPs urged to Speak Out on Prostate Cancer during Prostate Cancer Awareness Week
(19 March 2007)
To mark Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action has launched a Prostate Cancer Action Pack - designed to help MPs speak out on prostate cancer.
The Action Pack:
- Provides background information on prostate cancer
- Shows how prostate cancer affects every Parliamentary constituency in the UK
- Gives ideas on how MPs can raise awareness of prostate cancer in their constituency and encourage local NHS services to implement the best national standards of treatment and care
Over 60 MPs and Peers attended a drop-in session in Parliament, whether they met with Charter representatives and specialist information nurses who were able to make sure that they, and their constituents have all the facts about prostate cancer.
Commenting on Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, Cancer Minister, Rosie Winterton said, "Prostate cancer affects men in every constituency in the country and is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer amongst men. Raising the awareness of prostate cancer is a key challenge. We want men to know what their prostate is, what it does, and what can go wrong with it. However, we have to raise awareness in a responsible way so as not to cause undue anxiety and worry. That is why we teamed up with the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action to fund a pilot public awareness programme of the prostate, and that is why we are also making raising awareness a key strand of the new Cancer Reform Strategy."
Charter welcomes progress on brachytherapy in Wales
(8 February 2007)
The Prostate Cancer Charter for Action has welcomed the news that the First Minister of Wales has announced that a brachytherapy service for men with prostate cancer in Wales will be set up ‘in days.' The decision follows months of campaigning by local patients and national charities.
Commenting on the announcement, Charter spokesman Mike Birtwistle said:
"This is welcome news and will hopefully end a glaring health inequality whereby men in Wales were denied a treatment choice which was available to men in England. Bureaucratic boundaries had prevented a solution being made available until now. The decision to develop a service at Velindre is a victory for common sense. We look forward to studying the details of the proposed service."
"Local and national campaigners have worked tirelessly to ensure that brachytherapy is available in Wales. The Prostate Cancer Charter for Action now hopes to work closely with Health Commission Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government and local health boards to make the roll-out of brachytherapy a success."
Charter welcomes Cancer Reform Strategy announcement
(30 November 2006)
The Prostate Cancer Charter for Action has welcomed Patricia Hewitt's announcement that the Government is to publish a Cancer Reform Strategy. The Charter has been campaigning for an updated cancer plan. Commenting on the announcement, Mike Birtwistle said:
"This is encouraging news for all cancer patients, and especially men with prostate cancer. We have been calling for an updated Cancer Plan for some time now. The original NHS Cancer Plan has significantly improved services and changed the cancer landscape. We need a revised strategy to address this new reality and tackle the significant challenges which still remain.
"Unfortunately men with prostate cancer still report a significantly worse experience of their treatment and care than patients with other cancers. Recent research conducted by the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action has revealed frustratingly slow progress in implementing key NICE guidance, compounding these inequalities.
"It should be a top priority for the Government to address the raw deal which is still experienced by too many men with prostate cancer. The Charter has a comprehensive agenda which we believe will make a real difference to the lives of all patients. We very much hope to have the opportunity to work closely with the Department of Health and other stakeholders to ensure that this agenda is implemented as part of the new strategy."
Charter responds to Cancer Campaigning Group Green Paper
(10 November 2006)
The Prostate Cancer Charter for Action has responded to the Cancer Campaigning Group's Green Paper calling for a second cancer plan. The Charter support calls for a new plan or strategy for the development of cancer services in England. We agree that it should be guided by the principles suggested in the CCG's Green Paper, but would add the following:
- National policy should be designed to enable those cancers where progress has been slower to ‘catch up' to those where the most significant improvements have been delivered
- The standard of English cancer services should at least match those offered in comparable European countries
- Clear accountability mechanisms should be put in place so that the public can measure progress made against the plan
- The Plan should be fully costed and supported by any additional resources necessary to achieve its goals
You can read the Charter's response in full here.
Progress on improving NHS prostate cancer services too slow
(3 November 2006)
Coinciding with the National Prostate Cancer Conference, the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action has published the findings from its audit of progress in implementing key standards on prostate cancer services.
Following the first ever national survey of Cancer Networks, the Charter found that significant inequalities in the services offered to men still exist. This is despite the publication in 2002 of the NICE Improving Outcomes Guidance for Urological Cancers (IOG) which set clear standards to be met by all 34 NHS cancer networks in England.
Follow this link to learn more about the Charter's findings.
National Prostate Cancer Conference
(3 November 2006)
Growing financial pressures in the NHS are making it increasingly difficult to ensure that new ways of tackling prostate cancer - from awareness raising to research to NHS service delivery - are converted into practice across the UK. Only by determined action by everyone concerned about this disease, increasing pressure on Government, will we see the improvements that men deserve.
The third National Prostate Cancer Conference - ‘Pioneers in Practice: from Innovation to Reality?' - will be held on Friday, 3rd November 2006 at the Olympia Conference Centre, West London, to help us raise the profile of this key health issue and focus on the changes that are needed.
The conference - the leading event of its kind in the UK - will bring together everyone with an interest in prostate cancer: people affected by the disease, health care professionals, researchers, charities, policy makers, business leaders, trade unions and the media. It will showcase key examples of innovation and new information and explore how we can work together to ensure that they form the basis for real improvements for men affected by prostate cancer and their families.
The joint project between the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action and the Department of Health to assess the impact of awareness raising campaigns in prostate health will be one of the sessions featured among an array of topical issues.
View more on the conference here
Charter Secures Government support for Equality Action Plan
(25 September)
The Prostate Cancer Charter for Action launched its Equality Action Plan, Tackling Prostate Cancer in BME Communities, to a collected audience of healthcare professionals, service users, community leaders and charity representatives on Friday 22 September 2006.
The report was well received by the specialist black press, culminating in a radio interview with the Charter's expert BME working group on Colourful Radio, a new national, cross-cultural talk radio station.
Read the interview with Frank Chinegwundoh, Consultant Urologist and Chairman, Cancer Black Care, here.
Cancer Minister, Rosie Winterton MP, gave her support to the Prostate Cancer Equality Action Plan, saying, "I would like to congratulate the members of the expert working group on their excellent report, the recommendations of which will be fed into the action plan we are developing as part of our equality scheme that will be published in December."
Read the full statement from the Department of Health here.
Launch of the Prostate Cancer Equality Action Plan
(22 September 2006)
The Prostate Cancer Charter for Action has today launched its Equality Action Plan setting out a series of key recommendations for the Government to improve prostate cancer services for men from BME Communities and to make sure that all men get the high-quality, tailored service they deserve.
Prostate cancer is a major killer of all men - irrespective of ethnicity or social class - but is a particular worry for black and minority ethnic (BME) groups. British studies are set to confirm that men of African descent are nearly three times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than their white counterparts, yet people from BME communities are less likely to visit a GP because of prostate cancer symptoms.
In the Prostate Cancer Equality Action Plan, the Charter sets out the scale of the problem and calls for targeted Government action.
> Click here to download a copy of the Equality Action Plan (pdf)
> Click here to download a copy of the Charter's press release on the launch.
For further information on this ground-breaking, new report, please contact the Charter on 020 7340 6207 or email pccharter@asbiss.com
>> Read earlier news from our 'News Archive'...
