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A new clinic at a Norfolk surgery is aiming to detect 250 hidden cancer cases in the hope of getting patients swifter access to life-saving treatment. Magdalen Medical Practice in Norwich is launching a prostate cancer clinic after securing £150,000 in charity funding. The scheme will see the surgery reach out to patients who may be at risk of developing the condition and urge them to visit for blood tests and checks.
And should the pilot prove successful, it will be rolled out across other surgeries in the county. Martin Falkingham, a clinical director at the surgery, said the clinic will be aimed at two groups of patients - black men aged over 45 and men of all ethnicities over 45 with a family history of cancer. So far, the surgery has identified 71 of its registered patients who fit this category but expects this number to be around 2,500 across the Norwich and central Norfolk area.
And of these, Dr Falkingham said some 250 were likely to have prostate cancer. The surgery is now in the process of contacting these patients via text message, phone call or email and inviting them to the clinic - the first session of which takes place on Saturday, May 3. Dr Falkingham said: "This group is a notoriously hard to reach group when it comes to presenting at the GP and I really want to be an advocate for them.
"We have identified a real need to find cases early, which is what this pilot is about. It may well be that symptoms have not presented yet." Tracey Clarke, practice business manager at Magdalen Medical Practice in Norwich (Image: Newsquest/MMP) Tracey Clarke, practice business manager, added: "Sometimes the patients that you regularly see aren't always the ones that need to come in - and the ones who need help do not present.
"We're hoping that by taking a proactive approach, we can make sure people get the help they need.".
