Early Detection of Prostate Cancer in Primary Care

Dr Alex Norman is a Surrey GP who has dedicated eight years to improving cancer services. As Co-Medical Director of the Surrey and Sussex Cancer Alliance, he oversees care for over three million people, prioritising early diagnosis, reducing treatment disparities, and personalised care. His work includes developing prostate cancer pathways, supporting a successful case-finding pilot, and collaborating with Prostate Cancer UK to improve understanding and support for patients.

Amy started her professional life working with people who had learning disabilities and mental health issues. This taught her a huge amount about the transformative effect of creating more personalised support for people and established her life-long interest in the societal factors that influence our health. This led to a role working across Bradford District to reduce health inequalities and improve care. In this role Amy was able to immerse herself in the day-to-day workings of the NHS – considering the social factors that impacted on everything from primary care usage to hospital discharge. Amy is most proud of establishing social prescribing in primary care and a supported hospital discharge service. In 2012 Amy’s Dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer and she made the decision to relocate to London to be closer to family. In London Amy joined Diabetes UK – working nationally to tangibly improve diabetes care through clinical education, leadership development and establishing services that support better care delivery. Sadly, Amy’s Dad’s cancer was advanced and aggressive, and he died in 2013 at the age of 61. Five years later, she saw the role of Head of Improving Care at Prostate Cancer UK and it felt like the perfect fit with her expertise and personal values. Amy now leads teams that deliver healthcare education, policy and health influencing, translate research into NHS practice, address health inequalities and deliver improvement programmes.

Rhiannon Ashman is the deputy editor of MIMS Learning, an award-winning clinical education platform for healthcare professionals, published by Haymarket Media Group. She is leading on MIMS Learning’s ‘Patient, Presentation, Pathway for Cancer’ campaign, which provides learning and empowerment for GPs and other primary healthcare professionals around identifying at-risk patients, spotting signs and symptoms of cancer, and making best use of referral pathways to optimise early cancer diagnosis. She also co-hosts the popular weekly Clinical Update podcast, offering accessible clinical learning and expert interviews.