8th February 2010
The Prostate Cancer Charity comments on a new announcement by the Prime Minister, that people in England will be offered one-to-one care and support by a specialist cancer nurse.
Clara MacKay, The Prostate Cancer Charity’s Director of Operations and Marketing Communications, said: “This new announcement is a step in the right direction to improving the lives of people living with and beyond cancer. Almost one in three men living with cancer in the UK will have been diagnosed with a form of prostate cancer. Men tell us that having access to a specialist nurse can make a significant difference to helping them cope with the impact of the disease throughout all stages of the treatment and care. We believe that it is essential that all men with prostate cancer should have access to a named clinical nurse specialist.
“Currently, there is a lack of clinical nurse specialists for men with prostate cancer compared to other common cancers*, and those that do work in urology will often have a bigger caseload**.
“We know that countless men do not receive written or verbal information on the potential side effects of their treatment, such as erectile dysfunction or incontinence, nor are they able to access support services to help manage them. This is unacceptable and we strongly support the creation of these new positions, as this will help men with prostate cancer receive the level of care and support they are entitled to***.
“However, an increase in clinical specialist nurses must be accompanied by a commitment to, and investment in, increased training and education, enabling them to reach the level of skills and knowledge necessary to fulfil these demanding support roles. The Prostate Cancer Charity is contributing to this aim through an education and development programme for health professionals, but more needs to be done,” she added.
The Prostate Cancer Charity comments
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