Major grant awarded to the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action

14 January 2004

The fight against prostate cancer has been given a major boost with a £75,000 grant by the GUS Charitable Trust.

The grant awarded to the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action is on top of £130,000 worth of funding already given by the Trust.

The money, spread over two years, will enable the Charter – a partnership bringing together all the key charities and professional bodies with an interest in prostate cancer – to maintain its high level campaign. The Charter's five key areas are transparency, public awareness, patient care, research and partnership between the Government and the voluntary sector. The full Charter is included in the notes to editors.

With its slogan “because men's lives matter,” the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action has received the backing of over 250 Parliamentarians from all major political parties. Its work has already resulted in the Prostate Cancer Advisory Group being set up by the Department of Health under the chairmanship of cancer tsar Professor Mike Richards – a groundbreaking group to facilitate better collaboration between the Government, voluntary sector and professional organisations. The extra funding will enable the Charter signatories to maintain the pressure on the Department of Health to deliver on its calls for action.

Commenting on the grant, Sir Victor Blank, Chairman of the GUS Charitable Trust, said: “the trustees have been greatly impressed by the way twenty organisations have come together to speak with one voice. The power of this collective message has already led to the Department of Health moving to meet some of the calls for action contained in the Charter and I hope that this extra funding will lead to further progress in the fight against what is now the most common form of cancer in men in the UK.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The Prostate Cancer Charter for Action was launched in January 2003 and has been signed by 20 leading organisations involved in the fight against prostate cancer.
   
   
2. The Charter calls for:
   • Action on Transparency:
     We call for an urgent interim report on the progress in meeting all of the targets highlighted in the NHS Prostate Cancer Plan, launched in September 2000. We believe that information sharing is vital for the future effective management of the disease and that only a national database on all aspects of incidence, treatment and outcomes can achieve the transparency demanded by the public and clarity for investment and planning.
     
   • Action on Public Awareness:
     We call for the promised public awareness programme to be underway by autumn 2003. We would like to see an ongoing male-friendly health education campaign using popular media and increasing public awareness of the prostate and its function. The campaign should challenge the notion that prostate problems are an inevitable part of ageing to be endured rather than investigated. It should explain when men should take action, highlight risk factors (including ethnicity), and describe the role of the PSA blood test.
   • Action on Patient Care:
     Men and those close to them need information and support to make informed choices about their treatment. Care should be co-ordinated using a multi disciplinary team approach. We call for evaluation and investment in decision making tools to compare all treatment options including active surveillance and participation in clinical trials. We also call for an audited programme of education on prostate cancer for primary care providers.
   • Action on Resources:
     The costs of treating prostate cancer are set to rise, but we believe that they can be mitigated by prompt, targeted investment in the following three areas: trained prostate pathologists to cope with increased demand for diagnosis; specialist prostate cancer nurses to support both those affected and primary care providers; and fundamental research into reliable tests to identify men with prostate cancer, predict the cancer's aggressiveness and to provide individually tailored treatment.
   • Action on Partnership:
     The voluntary sector can play a major part in raising public awareness and providing information to those affected by prostate cancer. We call for better collaboration and communication between the voluntary sector and the Government in the formulation of policy on prostate cancer and delivery of the Prostate Cancer Plan.
   
   
   
3. The Prostate Cancer Charter for Action has been signed by The Prostate Cancer Charity, Prostate Research Campaign UK, Coalition against Prostate Cancer, Pro Cancer Research Fund, PCaSO Prostate Cancer Network, Scottish Association of Prostate Cancer Support Groups, The Prostate Cancer Charitable Trust, Progress Prostate Cancer Support Group, Orchid Cancer Appeal, Men's Health Forum, Men's Health Forum Scotland, Cancer Research UK, Macmillan Cancer Relief, Cancer BACUP, Tenovus, British Prostate Group, Institute of Cancer Research, British Association of Urological Surgeons, British Association of Urological Nurses and British Urological Foundation.
   
   
4. Around 25,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. The disease claims the lives of approximately 10,000 annually.
   
   
5. GUS is a retail and business services group. It provides information and customer relationship management services through Experian, general merchandise through Argos Retail Group and luxury goods through a majority shareholding in Burberry Group plc. GUS has some 32,500 male employees.

For more information please contact Jill Palmer on 07860 186 748.

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