Targeted Prostate Health Checks

Overview

In partnership, Medefer and the Surrey and Sussex Cancer Alliance (SSCA) have implemented a new approach to efficiently identify men with prostate cancer who may have not presented during the COVID-19 pandemic, known as the Targeted Prostate Health Check (TPHC) programme. The TPHC programme uses GP records to identify high-risk men and invite them to complete a urine and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test to diagnose more prostate cancer. 

What we did 

Unity Insights was commissioned by Medefer, Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex (Health Innovation KSS), and SSCA to evaluate the progress of the TPHC programme, and provide findings based on deployment across the SSCA from March 2023 to November 2023. The evaluation utilised a mixed-methods design that incorporated insights from semi-structured GP interviews, patient surveys, patient outcome data, and cost-benefit analysis (CBA). 

Outcomes 

The main impacts of the TPHC programme included improved awareness of prostate cancer, increased PSA testing, and better detection rates, without overburdening primary care clinicians. During Phase 2, 6,387 men were offered a PSA test and 43 cancers were detected that may have otherwise progressed to a later stage. The programme also successfully reached men with elevated risk factors, such as men from black ethnic groups or with a family history.  

As screening programmes generally require upfront costs to proactively identify more cancers, it is expected that implementing the programme long-term on a national scale may enable a positive return on investment. Consequently, the TPHC programme may enable earlier detection of clinically significant prostate cancer, thereby aiming to improve prostate cancer survival rates for men across the UK.