UK's National Health Service to use cancer detecting mats in public urinals

London: Urinal mats in public places in England will begin to carry blood in pee cancer arninwgs for men as part of a major new earlier diagnosis drive by the National Health Service (NHS) launched on Wednesday.

Under the cancer-catching drive, the UK’s state-funded health service and P-Wave, a leading urinal products brand, have come together to put the message “Blood in your pee? Contact your GP practice” on urinal mats in thousands of men’s toilets across the country.

Pubs, restaurants, shops, hotels and sports stadiums will be among the public places using the lifesaving mats with men’s workplaces also targeted.

"Having blood in your pee – even just once – shouldn’t be ignored because it can be a sign of cancer, so it needs to be checked out by your GP (general practitioner) team,” said Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England National Clinical Director for Cancer.

“Cancer survival is at an all-time high, and we’re seeing more cancers than ever before being picked up at an early stage – and this partnership with P-wave is just one of the many ways we are helping people to be aware of possible cancer symptoms," he said.

"While this initiative is about helping men spot the signs of cancer, everyone needs to be more aware – please look for any changes that may be unusual for you – and get checked out early, it could save your life,” he added.

Passing blood in pee, even just once, is a common symptom for bladder, kidney or prostate cancers, which are all among the 10 most prevalent cancers in the country, and generally affect men more than women.

Other common symptoms of bladder, kidney or prostate cancer include peeing very often, sudden urges to pee or a burning sensation when you pee, difficulty peeing, a lump or swelling in your back, under your ribs, or in your neck, or pain in the side between the ribs and the hip.

“We are proud to be working with NHS England on this first-of-its-kind partnership, which offers a creative yet simple way to convey a potentially life-saving cancer awareness message,” said Dave Carson, P-Wave Managing Director.

The latest NHS push comes alongside a new survey which found that nearly half of men in England (46 per cent) thought blood in pee was not a symptom of cancer. And two-fifths (39 per cent) of men surveyed said they would wait until they’ve noticed blood in their pee multiple times before seeing a GP.

The new findings also show that just over half of men in England use a public urinal at least once a week and the majority of men (71 per cent) said they would be more likely to contact their GP practice if they saw messaging on a urinal mat and were experiencing blood in their pee.

Health chiefs believe this unique, first-of-its-kind partnership with P-wave will enable the NHS to place vital cancer awareness messaging in public urinals, a relevant location where symptoms such as blood in pee may first be noticed.

Data shows that in the last year, the number of people receiving lifesaving checks for cancer hit nearly 3 million, more than any other year on record.

The NHS wants to highlight that diagnosing cancer early means it is easier to treat and can save lives, which is why it is urging people to be aware of changes in their bodies and contact their GP practice if they notice symptoms that could be cancer.