Impact report: Better support for people on the NHS prostate cancer pathway in Birmingham and Solihull

Although many people reported a positive experience, Healthwatch Birmingham and Healthwatch Solihull’s initial investigation found that not everyone seeking help for prostate cancer received the care they needed. We welcome the changes UHB has made in response to our report, taking practical actions such as recruiting additional staff and offering more holistic needs assessments to tackle some of the issues around diagnosis, treatment and post treatment support we identified. While these improvements should make a real difference, Healthwatch Birmingham and Healthwatch Solihull continue to receive feedback showing that the impact has yet to be felt by some patients. While recognising that change takes time, we urge UHB to remain focused on improving prostate cancer care. For our part, Healthwatch will continue to listen to what patients tell us so we can ensure that local prostate cancer services provide high quality care for everyone. - Richard Burden, Chair, Healthwatch Birmingham & Healthwatch Solihull