SUCCESSFUL BASILDON MEN'S HEALTH SCREENING EVENT AT CLUB KINGSWOOD
Press Release
On the 20th June, 119 men underwent a series of health checks at a screening event organised by the Essex based CHAPS Men's Health Charity and hosted by the Club Kingswood Sports & Social Club in Basildon, Essex. The event was free and made possible through donations from members of Club Kingswood and local sponsorship from Gen and Ayhan Isikgun of McDonalds Basildon, West & Co Funeral Directors and the Mar Dyke Valley Rotary Club.
From 12-8pm the Charity provided Abdominal Ultrasound Scanning for 48 men, principally to rule out aortic aneurysms. Eighty-three men underwent skin checks provided by Mayflower Healthcare skin specialists who detected numerous skin cancers including 1 highly dangerous malignant melanoma. There were 52 Physiotherapy appointments provided by Club Kingswood.
Heart disease is the number one cause of premature death in men and teams from ACE and Thurrock CCG provide NHS Health Checks for 69 men uncovering a range of treatable problems.
Prostate Cancer is our commonest male cancer and kills nearly 12,000 men each year, a figure now exceeding deaths from breast cancer. Despite this there is still no sign of a national screening programme! One hundred and fifteen men therefore took the opportunity to have a simple PSA screening blood test. The results were normal in 70 men who were then advised when to repeat the test, varying between 2 and 5 years depending on underlying risk. A further 21 men had results suggestive of benign prostatic enlargement; very common in men aged over 50. Nine elderly men with normal results were reassured that no further screening was necessary as they were no longer at any risk from prostate cancer.
Fifteen men had slightly abnormal (6) or clearly abnormal (9) PSA test results and all have been advised to see their GP to repeat the test and get examined. From this number it can be predicted that about 5 men will turn out to have prostate cancer, hopefully detected at an early and curable stage. These figures reflect prostate cancer rates found in many European and North American screening programmes. In the light of further international evidence confirming the benefits, our Charity and others across the country will therefore continue to promote awareness and provide screening until a full national Prostate Cancer Screening Service is hopefully and eventually introduced by the NHS.
Apart from the clinical screening tests on offer, all men attending will receive a comprehensive Men's Health Booklet covering all the key problems that lead to illness and premature death. We also provide a Men's Health Passport to record health data on the day.
Since 2012 we have screened over 2,000 men in Essex and at every event we discover unexpected and unknown problems, many of them life threatening, in time to take remedial action. Our results at Club KIngswood confirm the value of such events.
The Charity would also like to thank in person Alan Osborn for organising our local steering committee, its members Paul Havis, Gen Isikgun and Ann Quinn, and especially Club Kingswood manager Alex Owen and the Club for fundraising and providing the venue free!
Finally, local MP Stephen Metcalfe and Health Under-Secretary Jackie Doyle-Price MP tendered their apologies as Parliamentary voting prevented them opening the event. Instead we were delighted to have welcomed Essex County Councillors Anne Brown and Eddy Johnson and Basildon Mayor David Burton-Sampson to the event.
Thanks again to one and all for another successful Men's Health Event and to our attendees, of whom 93% voted the event good or outstanding.
Chris Booth
CHAPS Clinical Director
