Wycombe Hospital receives generous donation of urology equipment

Pictured above from left to right: Pamela Ging, Prostate Nurse Specialist; Barry Sarl, Chairman CPCSG; Tony Weeden, CPCSG; George Allison, CPCSG; John Greenland, Consultant and Trust lead for urology and Rose Southby – Uro Oncology Macmillan Nurse.

Wycombe Hospital has received a generous donation of urology equipment from the Chilterns Prostate Cancer Support Group (CPCSG).

On Thursday 17th January 2018 members of the Chilterns Prostate Cancer Support Group (CPCSG) visited Wycombe Hospital to present the urology team with some new equipment.

The group has been busy fund raising, running quiz nights, raffles, summer BBQ plus donations from local organisations and the money raised has been put towards a urinary flow meter and a portable bladder scanner for our urology team at Wycombe Hospital. Both of these devices will be used in the care and management of men with prostate cancer.

Barry Sarl, Chairman of the Chilterns Prostate Cancer Support Group (CPCSG), said: ‘Our group, CPCSG, is about giving support and raising awareness. The hard work and commitment of our members and generous contributions from a number of local organisations, has made this donation possible.

We hope to do more in the future to give support to local people affected by and to raise awareness of, Prostate Cancer, as we continue to work closely with our dedicated, skilful medical professionals and the local community.‘

Rose Southby, Uro Oncology Macmillan Nurse, said: ‘The scanner offers a non-invasive, portable method for assessing patients so it’s great for both patients and staff. We are extremely grateful to the CPCSG for their generous donation and would like to thank them for all their support.‘

The Chilterns Prostate Cancer Support Group (CPCSG) was established in 2005 by the Urologists, Nurses and those patients who had been diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer principally in Wycombe and Stoke Mandeville hospitals. Its Patron is Sir Michael Parkinson CBE.

The patient-led group recognised that, as its members had experienced the highs and lows of prostate cancer, it was in a unique position to provide encouragement and support to other men and their loved ones who found themselves similarly affected. They therefore had two simple aims:

• To provide support to men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and to provide reassurance to their families
• To promote early awareness of prostate cancer within the local community in order to help reduce avoidable deaths.

Prostate cancer is diagnosed in over 47,000 men in the UK annually and this figure has increased by more than 12,000 over the past 15 years. Early diagnosis is essential because the cancer is treatable and can lead to a full recovery. Sadly over 11,500 men in the UK die of the condition each year.

In Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, when a man is informed by the clinician of his cancer diagnosis, he is given a comprehensive folder of information which includes the contact details of CPCSG so that he, or his family, can speak with a former patient and draw on their support. Many of those have now joined the group so that they can provide similar support to new patients.

Further information about The Chilterns Prostate Cancer Support Group can be found at www.chilternsprostatecancersupportgroup.co.uk.