How much needs to be raised?

Capital expenditure

There are many areas in which money could be spent and MAC can only address a small amount of this. Equipment is essential to providing the level of care we require. Urology alone at Belfast City Hospital currently requires £200,000 of equipment and the Hospital is short of diagnostic equipment (scanners etc.)

Currently the NHS remains under severe financial strain. MAC would have a critical role in funding some items related to cancer for men, examples would include urological equipment for the clinic to telesynergy systems for wider communication with the US, Dublin and England and within the Province itself.

The Costs

Having reviewed the proposal and taking account of the necessary staffing levels and diagnostic equipment required for the envisaged open access unit at Belfast City Hospital the minimum figure required to be raised by MAC would be £897,000 over 3 years. Additional to this the cost of the research programme is £603,000 over 3 years.

Thus the total cost of the project would be £1.6 million

Prevention and Early Diagnosis

It is proposed initially that a redevelopment of the Department of Urology would allow this open access unit be made ready at a building cost £377,000. Equipment i.e. videos educational material Internet access etc. £10,000 .

Staff costs in this unit would entail a nurse specialist at £24,000 pa for 5 years £120,000, secretarial support at £8,000 pa for 5 years £40,000.

In order to collate and audit all of the men's cancer activity in Northern Ireland a clinical research fellowship should be established. This would be a medical post devoted to clinical research into Men's cancers with the ability to join in the research effort in the cancer research centre. This post would be advertised as the foundations fellow and run for 1-3 years at a cost of £35,000 pa.

An integral part of this job would be to provide medical back up to the walk in unit. An advertising campaign to make men aware of the need for early diagnosis and of the existence of the unit would be funded for 5 years. It is anticipated that the NHS will take up the funding of some if not all of the activity in this unit as time goes by. The unit itself may be partially self-funding from direct donations.

Summary of Diagnostic Unit Costs in Sterling

Equipment and Diagnostic Facilities

Research

One of the main causes of death in men is prostate cancer particularly when it is resistant to treatment. Our aim is to establish a research group in the cancer centre of the Belfast City Hospital to develop new strategies for treatment of this disease.

The research team would look into how prostate cancer cells interact with each other and spread in the human body. The purpose of the research would be to develop new drugs for testing and the Department of Urology would be in a position to do the early clinical work necessary for this type of work. The money invested in research would be over a 3-year period and the research group formed is intended to become self funding.

Prostate cancer Programme Support - Requested p.a. 2001-2004

This sum does not include the cost of developing a comparable unit in other areas of Northern Ireland. Until this is a practical possibility, this project centred at the Belfast City Hospital will have a significant beneficial effect for all men in Northern Ireland. Thus the overall cost is £1.5.