Peterborough men urged to board prostate health bus in city centre for free health check

Men in Peterborough have been urged to board the health outreach bus that will be heading into the city centre on December 30 for a free prostate health check.

As part of Jyoti Shah’s MBE nationwide campaign, to make one-stop clinics accessible within community settings, the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust Macmillan Consultant Urological Surgeon, the bus will be making a stop in Peterborough City Centre (just outside the Town Hall on Bridge Street) on Saturday 30 December between 9am and 4pm.

Men can board the bus and receive an immediate booking to see Miss Shah and her team – and receive a health check there and then.

To take part, men must be aged between 50 and 80, have no known prostate cancer and not had a PSA test within the past year.

Booking onto the bus will ensure men receive a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test, a prostate examination and have their blood pressure taken, all within a matter of minutes.

They will then be notified of their PSA result with reassurance that no further immediate action is required, or they may be advised that they need further investigations. All results are copied to GPs so that a record is kept in each person’s file.

The concept follows on from Miss Shah’s previous successful community clinics under the “Fighting Prostate Cancer” banner, which Miss Shah has set up across the UK at locations including football clubs and village halls to places of worship and work.

Miss Shah said: “I feel strongly that these kinds of events resonate with many people, and in conjunction with the Trust I am passionate about continuing these community clinics for men.

“Not only do they take the pressure off GPs, but they provide education and awareness in what many may see as a less formal and / or less threatening environment – thus taking away the fear factor.”

She added: “Peterborough City Centre is the first in a series of planned local locations for the community clinic, conveniently allowing men to fit the check around their weekend shopping or social arrangements. It will only take a few minutes and could be a decision that may save their life.

“Prostate cancer is a silent killer, but it is a cancer that we can cure if we pick it up early enough.”

Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with one in eight being diagnosed as some point in their lives – and for men from an Afro-Caribbean heritage, the risk is one in four.

Miss Shah said: “A lot of men like to bury their head in the sand when it comes to their health. They are often too busy to go to their doctor or to access the relevant services.

“But because prostate cancer often doesn’t have any symptoms – they won’t appreciate the need to go and get checked for a problem that effectively doesn’t exist. However, because there are no signs, that doesn’t mean that it’s not there.”

Councillor Saqib Farooq, Peterborough City Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults and Health, said: “We are fully committed to working with our partners, including the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, to help residents stay healthy as part of our work to create strong and sustainable communities.

The bus is owned by Light Project Peterborough and funded by Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care Board (ICB), Peterborough City Council and NHS Charities Together.