Hundreds of men from across Tewkesbury, West Cheltenham, Staunton and Newent have attended a special one-off clinic offering advice and testing for possible signs of prostate cancer and related conditions.

The event, organised by the Tewkesbury, West Cheltenham, Staunton and Newent (TWNS) Primary Care Network followed an innovative livestream which talked about one of the most common male cancers which reached more than 5,000 people.

The Facebook Live saw Dr Jeremy Welch from the Mythe Medical Practice talk to Mr Ed Tudor, a urology consultant at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in an hour-long discussion which covered everything about prostate cancer and the testing process.

Text messages were sent to more than 10,000 men aged between 45 and 70 across the Primary Care Network area, before the discussion was broadcast across several GP practice Facebook pages.

On Saturday May 11, 203 men attended the follow-up clinic where they were offered advice from GPs, blood tests and prostate exams if required.

Dr Welch said:

“The prostate cancer awareness drop-in event was incredibly well attended with over 200 men visiting to discuss their concerns.

“Everyone who attended had a discussion with a GP and then examination and / or blood testing as indicated based on their symptoms and risk factors.

“A massive thank you to all the staff that came in on a beautiful sunny day to help out. This new approach to raising awareness and making information and local support available has proved really successful and is a model we are keen to develop and utilise for other medical conditions going forward.”

A 66-year-old patient from Mythe Medical Practice praised the initiative, saying it was easy to understand and informative.

He said:

“Publicising the drop-in event was very well done and there was a big turn-out.

“Explaining the patient journey gave you an idea of what the process was and how they are trying to use the tools they have available so they don’t have to put people in uncomfortable situations that aren’t necessary. It was a good education event.”

Dr Welch explained that prostate cancer and prostate issues are topics which many men worry about, but where information and messaging can be confusing and this event was aimed at addressing that.

He said:

“As a male GP I have a consultation with a male patient most days of the week about the prostate and their individual concerns and worries.

“I explain what we know, what the risks and the symptoms are, what tests are appropriate and why, why some tests are not appropriate and evidence-based and together we make a plan going forward.

“We wanted to try and share where we are with our knowledge of the prostate and prostate cancer and arm as many men as possible with the correct information from a local GP and a local specialist – we are very aware that all men are different and have different individual scenarios and hope that the information shared has helped them know what they can and need to do.

“Using Facebook Live was a new approach for us, but we have been really pleased by the attendance, views and feedback – going forward we see this approach of information and advice sharing as a valuable addition to the traditional health service model.”

The livestream is set to be the first in a series of events which aim to answer questions and offer advice on a number of conditions.

Notes for Editors:

The Tewkesbury, West Cheltenham, Newent and Staunton Primary Care Network is a group of GP practices working together with community services covering Tewkesbury and the western side of Cheltenham, as well as Newent, Staunton and surrounding areas.

Four GPs and seven nurses from across the PCN worked at the clinic, supported by administrative staff and a representative from the Patient Participation Group based at Mythe Medical Practice.