Send letters to UK males prompting examination of health matters, such as cancer · petition

What the petition asks

Currently, females in the UK are requested to have breast screenings and smear tests in the effort to diagnose and manage such health conditions as cancer. Males receive no such letters or requests to do the same for prostate, bowel or testicular cancer. Send letters to males at age 25, 40 and 60.

To add a letter/email prompt to the account of all males registered at UK GP practices. This letter/email prompt requests males to attend clinics at age 25, 40, 50, 60 and 70. Attending these clinics prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and physical inspections are undertaken. As well as this a general assessment of health can be given. Males attend the doctors less frequently than women, and their health is not scrutinised as much detail as females. Pregnancy perhaps being a key driver.

Why it was rejected

It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.

Petitions must call for a specific action that the UK Government or Parliament are directly responsible for.

Decisions about communication with patients is a matter for the NHS and individual GPs, not the Government or Parliament. As a result it is not possible for the Government or Parliament to take the action you have requested.

We can accept petitions calling on the Government to fund additional screening programmes, so you could start a petition calling on the Government to fund additional screening for prostate, bowel and testicular cancer, if that's something you would like to happen.

We have published the following petitions, which you might like to sign:

Fund routine prostate cancer screening tests for men from the age of 50: Fund routine prostate cancer screening tests for men from the age of 50

Fund routine bowel screening from the age of 50: Fund routine bowel screening from the age of 50

Timeline

11 Jan 2022	Petition opened for signatures
17 Jan 2022	Rejected by the Petitions Committee