Health

Welsh charity calls for live-saving prostate cancer screening

Published

3 weeks ago

May 18, 2026

PROSTATE CYMRU is calling for routine prostate cancer testing as the UK Government prepares to make a final decision on whether to introduce a national screening programme.

The Welsh charity says too many men are still being diagnosed late, despite prostate cancer affecting one in eight men, one in four Black men, and one in three men with a family history of the disease.

Last year, the National Screening Committee opened a public consultation after issuing a draft recommendation against screening all men. It also did not support a targeted screening programme for Black men or those with a family history, despite their higher risk.

A final decision is expected this month.

‘Early diagnosis is key’

Andy Thomas, chair of Prostate Cymru and a recently retired consultant urological surgeon, said early diagnosis remained crucial.

He said: “Early diagnosis is key. In Wales, the impact of prostate cancer is significant, affecting one in eight men, and one in three with a family history. Often, it doesn’t present with any symptoms, so it is essential that men get tested.

“Currently, you only get tested if you request it, or if you have a proactive GP that recommends it. But we constantly hear of men who have difficulties in getting a GP appointment, and in some cases even being refused a test.

“And what about the men who don’t think to ask for a test? We need a screening programme.”

Because of concerns about access through GP surgeries, Prostate Cymru has been running its own PSA testing events with support from commercial sponsors.

In 2025, 200 men who attended the charity’s events received a “red alert”, advising them to seek urgent medical advice. That represented almost 6% of all those tested.

Mr Thomas added: “We do what we can. But we are a charity and we simply cannot test everyone.

“The government needs to be more proactive in raising awareness among those most at risk and it needs to educate and advise GPs so that men aren’t refused tests or feel dissuaded.”

‘This can’t come down to luck’

Among those now calling for change is Cardiff man Kervin Julien, a Black Caribbean man who was told two days before Christmas that he had prostate cancer.

Kervin, a Radio Cardiff presenter and Justice for Cardiff Five campaigner, has since undergone surgery and is using his experience to raise awareness, particularly among Black men.

He said: “The government is lingering on a decision that could save lives. With one in eight men getting prostate cancer, we need screening. And with one in four Black men getting it, we definitely need screening.

“Many men make excuses for certain symptoms that they might be going through, and we don’t talk about these things. And lots of men don’t even have any symptoms but still have prostate cancer.

“A screening programme would mean it wouldn’t rely on men being proactive and having to ask for a test.”

Kervin said he now wanted to campaign for screening and create greater awareness among younger Black men.

He added: “What if I hadn’t gone to the doctor? What if I hadn’t had a PSA test?”

‘Without the test, I would not have known’

James Roberts, 59, from Abergele, was diagnosed with stage three prostate cancer after attending a Prostate Cymru PSA testing event in Colwyn Bay last summer.

He said he had previously approached his GP practice about a PSA test but felt dissuaded from having one.

James said: “I am stage three, so that means the cancer has spread outside the prostate but it hasn’t gone into my bones or the lymph nodes. It’s what they call advanced. Had they caught it earlier, I could have had surgery to remove it.

“Women routinely have smears and mammograms, so why are we getting left behind?

“Policy makers are arguing that it isn’t reliable, but this blood test takes five minutes and it’s a marker. It indicates whether you need further tests.

“Without Prostate Cymru and the PSA test, I wouldn’t have known anything about this and it would have ended up being stage four.”

‘It was just luck’

Swansea man Dean Hopkins, also 59, was first tested by his GP in 2017 and was advised to return in three years.

But when the Covid pandemic hit, Dean struggled to get an appointment and, with no obvious symptoms, let it slide.

He later spotted an advert for a Prostate Cymru testing event while watching football in Swansea. After attending, he received a red alert and was later diagnosed with stage three prostate cancer.

Dean has undergone radiotherapy and is now receiving hormone therapy and steroid medication. He will continue to be monitored for the rest of his life.

He said: “We need a national screening programme because it was just luck that I saw an advert for the Prostate Cymru event.

“This can’t just come down to luck or whether you have a GP that takes it seriously. We all need to be screened.

“If I’d been tested in 2020, this would have been caught earlier. I feel I missed out on six or seven years, in which time my cancer was growing.”

Prostate Cymru is continuing to run testing events this summer while urging men, particularly those at higher risk, to speak to their GP about a PSA test.

Health

Rural social care in west Wales ‘left to pick up the pieces’

Published

2 hours ago

June 8, 2026

Tom Sinclair

CLAIRE ARCHIBALD MS has challenged the First Minister over pressures facing rural social care in west Wales, warning that families in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion are being left without the support they need.

The Reform UK Member of the Senedd for Ceredigion Penfro raised the issue during First Minister’s Questions, saying reductions in the clinical role of rural hospitals had not been matched by proper investment in community care.

Ms Archibald, who has previously worked as a carer, said the impact was being felt by patients stuck in hospital, families struggling to secure support, and people unable to spend their final days at home.

She told the Senedd: “Across Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, Labour has reduced the clinical role in our rural hospitals, but the community care to fill the gap has simply not been put in place.

“The results are delayed discharges, families left struggling, and many people denied the chance to spend their final days at home with their loved ones.

“We have providers across west Wales handing back contracts, refusing referrals and shelving expansion because they cannot recruit the workforce.

“So, after 26 years of Labour-led government supported by your party, isn’t it the truth that rural social care has been neglected and left to pick up the pieces?

“What concrete action will your government take to restore front-line social care in west Wales?”

Following the exchange, Ms Archibald said the issue was not simply about policy, but about real families being placed in impossible situations.

She said: “I have seen first-hand how important good care is, both for the person who needs support and for the family around them.

“When community care is not there, people stay in hospital longer than they need to, families are left fighting for help, and people lose the chance to be cared for at home.

“This is especially serious in rural areas like Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, where distance, workforce shortages and reduced local services all make the pressure worse.

“For too long, rural social care has been left to carry the burden while services are taken away elsewhere.

“People in west Wales deserve better than warm words. They need clear action, proper workforce planning, and front-line care that actually reaches them.”

Ms Archibald said she would continue pressing the Welsh Government on delayed discharges, care package shortages, workforce pressures and the need to protect services in rural communities.

Health

Welsh Ambulance Service to hold extraordinary board meeting

Published

2 hours ago

June 8, 2026

Tom Sinclair

THE WELSH AMBULANCE SERVICE will hold an extraordinary Trust Board meeting later this month.

Members of the public will be able to watch the meeting online via Microsoft Teams on Thursday (Jun 25), from 9:30am to 10:00am.

Board members are expected to receive and approve the Trust’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2025–26.

Colin Dennis, Chair of the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “Our Board meetings play a vital role in ensuring transparency and openness in everything we do, and we would invite anyone with an interest in the Trust’s work to join us virtually to find out more.”

A link to watch the meeting will be available through the Trust, but viewers are advised it will only work from 10 minutes before the meeting begins.

An agenda will be published on the Trust’s website in the days before the meeting.

Health

Wales becomes first UK nation to offer online gambling harm support

Published

4 hours ago

June 8, 2026

Tom Sinclair

WALES has become the first UK country to offer nationwide access to a new online NHS programme for people affected by gambling harms.

The free course, Space from Gambling Harms, is available through the SilverCloud platform and can be accessed at any time on a phone, tablet or computer without the need to see a GP.

It forms part of the new All-Wales Gambling Treatment Service, which launched in April alongside a 24-hour helpline.

The 12-week programme is based on cognitive behavioural therapy and motivational enhancement therapy, helping users reflect on their gambling habits, build confidence, and develop skills to regain control.

Jodie Morgan, Clinical Operational Manager at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which manages the gambling service and helpline for NHS Wales, said: “Improving access to support is a key part of the All-Wales Gambling Treatment Service.

“Space from Gambling Harms offers people another way to access confidential, evidence-based support at a time that suits them, and we will be supporting patients across Wales to access the programme alongside our wider treatment offer.”

The course is available to anyone in Wales aged 18 or over via self-referral. Users are advised to spend around 20 minutes a day, three times a week, working through the programme.

Anyone who self-refers is assigned an NHS-trained supporter who can provide guidance, advice and encouragement.

Fionnuala Clayton, project manager for NHS Wales’ online CBT service, said: “Through SilverCloud, we want to remove as many barriers to support as possible and provide people with tools they can use in a way that fits around their lives.

“This programme gives people the opportunity to reflect on their habits, gain the skills and confidence to control their gambling, and get their lives back on track.”

The programme is one of 28 mental health and wellbeing courses available through SilverCloud, which is managed by Powys Teaching Health Board.

Other SilverCloud programmes for mild-to-moderate mental health issues, including anxiety, stress, depression and poor sleep, are available to anyone in Wales aged 16 or over.

In Wales, research suggests tens of thousands of people are affected by gambling harms each year.

The new helpline offers information, advice and support to anyone affected by gambling, including family members and others impacted. Where needed, callers can be referred on to specialist treatment services.

Anyone affected by gambling harms can call the 24/7 helpline on 0808 281 9265.

Professionals and individuals can also refer to the Gambling Treatment Service by calling 03000 859464 or emailing [email protected].

Self-referrals to SilverCloud’s Space from Gambling Harms programme can be made at nhswales.silvercloudhealth.com/signup/.