Press Release, 12th April, 2013

MSP Backs Prostate Cancer UK’s Quality Checklist

Duncan McNeil MSP has pledged to support the swift implementation of a Prostate Cancer UK initiative in Inverlcyde to help Scottish men with prostate cancer receive the best possible care and support, regardless of where they live.

This comes as interim findings of a new survey suggest that support offered to men with prostate cancer in Scotland is falling short of satisfactory standards.

The survey has been commissioned by Prostate Cancer UK to consult a sample of prostate cancer patients in Scotland about their experiences of care. The evidence so far highlights that despite recent improvements, there are gaps in the provision of information and support men with prostate cancer receive.

In a bid to help stamp out these inequalities, Prostate Cancer UK has produced a Quality Checklist to be used as a best practice guide for men and clinicians. The checklist sets out 15 national standards for care and support that Scottish men with prostate cancer should expect and demand, from the point of their diagnosis through to the end of their life.

Duncan McNeil MSP showed his support for the Quality Checklist at a recent campaigning event held at Holyrood where he met with people affected by prostate cancer from across the country.

The local MSP said:

“Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, yet the quality of care men receive in Scotland varies.  It is incredibly important that we do all we can to ensure all men with prostate cancer get the care and support they need. I am therefore delighted to endorse Prostate Cancer UK’s Quality Checklist, and call on NHS Greater, Glasgow and Clyde to ensure it is adopted as soon as possible to help all men who are diagnosed with the disease.”