A volunteer group offering free prostate cancer screening from community venues in Durham has received a House of Commons commendation after its first two clinics flagged potentially concerning results in 12 men.
The Durham District Prostate Cancer Group was praised for what MPs described as “life-saving work”. The group’s screening programme gives men aged over 45 access to free blood tests, with results analysed and follow-up advice provided through a partnership with the Cancer Screening Trust.
Nearly 150 men attended first clinics
The group was founded more than two years ago and has grown to about four dozen volunteers. It was the first organisation of its kind in the region, and its model has since been followed by groups in Sunderland, Darlington, Consett and Morpeth.
Its initial work focused on raising awareness of prostate cancer at indoor and outdoor public events during the spring and summer. Earlier this year, donations totalling £7,000 from the Durham City Freemen and Durham City Parish Council enabled the volunteers to begin offering free blood tests at local screening clinics.
The first two sessions attracted nearly 150 men. Analysis of the blood samples produced “red” results for 12 men. Each was supported with a letter from a specialist and referred to their own GP for further action.
The appointment-based clinics were promoted publicly on Facebook, while testing was carried out by a specialist nurse based in County Durham. At least one further screening session is planned before the end of the year.
Unexpected demand at Brandon clinic
The group’s second session was held at Brandon Community Hall. Although 60 men had been scheduled for examinations, a further 14 people arrived without appointments. Volunteers were able to accommodate them and provide checks.
Group co-founder Les Cleckner said the sessions were intended to operate by appointment only. Mr Cleckner is a retired maintenance team craftsman at the University Hospital of North Durham and a Durham City Freeman.
“Prostate cancer is a silent killer which can be successfully treated, particularly if caught early. Many GP practices are unable to offer screening to apparently healthy men because of the costs involved. We were taken by surprise, not least by the distance some men were prepared to travelled and we tried to accommodate as many of the unexpected arrivals as we could,”
Mr Cleckner said.
Group seeks charitable status
Volunteers hold monthly meetings at Brawn’s Den public house in Brandon. They have applied for charitable status and remain confident that the application will be approved in the near future.
The Parliamentary Early Day Motion was sponsored by City of Durham MP Mary Kelly Foy and backed by other MPs. It commended the group’s awareness work, its partnership with the Cancer Screening Trust and the first event at Brandon Community Hall, while recognising the barriers that can prevent men from accessing early detection.
Fellow co-founder Peter Carr said the 12 men identified through the clinics had been unaware of the potential threat before testing.
“Before our screening tests the twelve men identified at our sessions were getting on with their lives, unaware of the potential threat they faced. They are the lucky ones, as are we to get help and support from a wide range of people at key stages of our development. Parliament’s public endorsement is yet another great example of that collective good fortune.”
Mr Carr said.