Prostate Cancer

• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the UK, with around 55,300 new cases diagnosed each year – that’s about 150 men every day.
• Stats suggest 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer – this rises to 1 in 4 in black men
• It accounts for 28% of all new male cancer cases, and sadly, around 12,200 men die from the disease annually.
• Survival rates are improving, with nearly 79% of men surviving 10 years or more after diagnosis.

In terms of lifestyle, there are many things we can do to reduce our risk of prostate cancer and these steps are the most powerful in reducing your risk. These include maintaining a healthy weight and diet, avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol intake.

Early detection can lead to more successful screening. The PSA (prostate specific antigen) test is a blood test to help check for prostate conditions such as prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate. Men aged 50 or over can ask their GP for a PSA test, even if they do not have symptoms.

Anyone aged 50 or over with a prostate can ask for a PSA test – but this is not offered routinely by the NHS and so you need to be aware that you need to request a test.

We’re hoping to catch up with a couple of colleagues from our QE Facilities team in the near future, who have kindly offered to share their stories and lived experience of prostate cancer, to press home the importance of awareness.

Testicular Cancer

• Testicular cancer is less common but typically affects younger men. Around 2,400 new cases are diagnosed annually in the UK.
• It has one of the highest survival rates, with 96.5% of men surviving 10 years or more.
• Despite its rarity, awareness and early detection are vital, as it remains the 17th most common cancer among men.

With testicular cancer, there is no known way in terms of prevention. This is because many of the risk factors are genetic or related to birth conditions. Unlike some other cancers, lifestyle factors do not have a strong association with risk reduction.

As a result, the most powerful approach to testicular cancer is early detection. Testicular cancer is highly treatable but is much easier to cure when caught early.

For men, this means regularly performing TSEs (testicular self-examinations) to both familiarise yourself with downstairs, and spot any changes early. Symptoms to look for include any painless lumps or swelling in either testicle (the most common symptom), a feeling of heaviness in the scrotum, a dull ache in the lower abdomen or groin, a sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum, pain or discomfort in the testicle or scrotum and any change in shape or size of the testicle.

The best time to perform a TSE is during or after a warm bath or shower. This 2-minute NHS video can help you understand how to best perform one.

Mental Health

• Men are less likely to seek help for mental health concerns, yet face higher risks of poor outcomes.
• One in five adults (20.2%) in England live with a common mental health condition, with men often underrepresented in accessing support.
• The Bupa Wellbeing Index 2025 highlights that societal expectations and stigma continue to discourage men from speaking openly about their mental health.

Making the time and effort to take care of our mental health is key. At Gateshead, we aim to try promote opportunities to do this, whether through our social wellbeing opportunities, our physical wellbeing opportunities or our self-care resources.

Of course, lifestyle choices can also play a big role in our mental health. Factors like diet, exercise, sleep, regular connection with others and more all play a part in our mental health, and resources around these can all be found using this website’s search function.

Stress is a major driver of poor mental health, and in the next couple of weeks we’ll be launching our new Guidance For Tackling Stress at Work, which will also mean an updated stress risk assessment. The guide itself will promote all of the tools and resources available to help you identify and prevent stress; regulate and self-manage stress; and know where get support when stress becomes overwhelm.

Suicide Prevention

• Suicide remains the leading cause of death for men under 50 in the UK.
• In 2024, 4,599 men died by suicide in England and Wales, equating to a rate of 17.6 per 100,000 – the highest this century.
• Last year, males accounted for 74% of suicides registered in England and Wales

Accessing support when you need it is vital. Reaching out when you’re low can be key in preventing things from spiralling. At Gateshead, we promote the excellent rapid-access, free and confidential service provided for our staff by the North East and North Cumbria Staff Wellbeing Hub, which provides access to psychological support within a week, and can be accessed by self-referral.

Also available are a range of mental health support offers including listening support from our network of mental health first aiders, our staff counselling service, our professional nurse advocates and much more.

Knowing where to turn to when in crisis can also be key. Our crisis support page shares the appropriate steps to take to reach out when in crisis. Elsewhere, our guide to supporting a colleague in crisis is also there to help you understand how to support others. And those interested in supporting suicide prevention should visit our dedicated page, for further resources including free training from Zero Suicide Alliance and the NHS Practitioner Health Suicide Prevention Navigation Guide.