A pioneering prostate health project at University Hospital Southampton has won a national award marking 75 years of the NHS after being nominated by an MP.

Faced with the amount of people being treated for prostate cancer dropping by almost a quarter during the Covid-19 pandemic, the team came up with a new scheme which launched in February 2022.

It helps high-risk patients get access to blood tests and MRI scans without a GP referral and so far, 1,000 people have used the programme.

READ MORE: Southampton doctors launch new prostate cancer service

Royston Smith, MP for Southampton Itchen, was so impressed he nominated the team for an 'Excellence in Healthcare Award' at the NHS Parliamentary Awards - which they won at the ceremony on July 5 in London.

Tim Dudderidge, consultant urological surgeon at UHS and co-lead of the scheme, said: “Winning the award in a category full of incredible examples of how the NHS continues to innovate for its patients was a fantastic moment for everyone involved in the inception and delivery of the self-referral service.

“However, the real win here is knowing that we are giving our patients a service that will raise awareness of the prostate cancer and make it easier for men who are at higher risk to access our service with ease.”

READ MORE: Clinicians at University Hospital Southampton use SpaceOAR hydrogel to reduce side effects for prostate cancer patients

The project is two-pronged: raising awareness about early symptoms and testing and also cutting through the red tape which slows down access to specialist doctors.

It works via an email questionnaire - and if patients are identified as high risk, they will be offered a series of tests without needing to speak to a GP.

These include a blood test known as a prostate-specific antigen test, which measures protein levels in the blood found only in the prostate gland and is often elevated in men with this form of cancer.

Other tests, such as an MRI scan, urinary function assessment and prostate biopsies, are also offered if needed.

Royston said: "It is a wonderful project and I was pleased to support them.

"It is an excellent achievement that the hardworking team at the UHS deserve."

More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in the UK and every hour, one man will die from the disease, accounting for 12,000 men yearly.

The scheme is supported by Prostate Cancer UK and Wessex Cancer Alliance.

For more information about the scheme, click here.