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Sodexo UK & Ireland and phs Group are supporting the NHS and helping to spread an important men’s health message – “Blood in your pee? Contact your GP practice” – via specially branded awareness-raising urinal mats in thousands of washrooms nationwide.
Since the end of last year, as part of a major earlier cancer diagnosis drive, an NHS partnership with P-Wave has encouraged men to consult their GPs if they see blood in their urine. The collaboration has seen this important health message delivered directly to those at risk through a special message featured on P-Wave’s Slant6 urinal mats.
Diagnosing cancer early means it is easier to treat and can save lives, which is why the NHS chose to collaborate with P-Wave, urging men to be aware of changes in their bodies and to contact their GP practice if they notice symptoms that could be a sign of cancer, and now Sodexo and phs Group are also supporting the initiative.
“Sodexo is a long-time customer of phs Group. We supply hygiene services to them at sites across the country including corporate offices, hospitals, military bases, government offices, manufacturing facilities. We were aware that Sodexo had been talking to P-Wave about using the NHS England branded urinal mats and are pleased that together we are enabling the mats to be used at their client sites across the UK,” says phs Group head of marketing Kelly Greenaway.
“Supporting this essential men’s health initiative could really make an impact and potentially save lives, and we are actively marketing and supplying P-Wave’s NHS branded urinal mats to many of our other customers. phs Group has 120,000 customers at over 300,000 locations across the UK, so the more men we can reach with this message, the better.”
“Sodexo is proud to support this crucial NHS England men’s health initiative,” says Kevin Muckle, head of cleaning, Sodexo UK & Ireland. “As soon as we saw this urinal mat option, we knew we just had to install them in our washrooms nationwide, to support this important NHS campaign. Our hygiene supplies partner, phs Group, has enabled this initiative, and gone the extra mile by creating support materials to ensure that as many men as possible are prompted into taking early action.”
Ongoing success for men’s health initiative
The NHS England campaign has been a great success and sees no signs of slowing, with over 600,000 urinal mats carrying the NHS message expected to be placed in venues from pubs, restaurants and offices, to shopping malls and sports stadiums nationwide by the end of the year. The collaborative support for the partnership from Sodexo and phs Group will ensure this important message reaches more venues nationwide.
“We are delighted that phs Group and Sodexo have recognised the importance of this NHS early cancer awareness campaign,” says P-Wave Brand Manager Mark Wintle at Robert Scott. “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 lifesaving message, and encourage other businesses to get involved.”
Encouraging earlier diagnosis
Dame Cally Palmer, NHS England national director for cancer, said: “Cancer survival is at an all-time high, and we’re seeing more cancers than ever before being picked up at an early stage. This partnership is just one of the many ways we are helping people to be aware of possible cancer symptoms.
“Having blood in your pee, even just once, shouldn’t be ignored. If you notice something isn’t right and any changes that may be unusual for you, please visit your GP.”
NHS research shows that just over half of men in England use a public urinal at least once a week, while 71% said they would be more likely to contact their GP if prompted by a urinal mat after noticing blood in their pee. Additionally, 64% would view a workplace or venue more favourably if it displayed health-promoting messages in washrooms.
According to new analysis from NHS England, almost three million people were seen for an urgent cancer check over the last 12 months, and the number being tested has increased by more than a quarter compared with the same period before the pandemic.
Focusing on men’s health in the washroom
“Because of our reach, phs Group is an organisation that can drive real change and innovation,” says Kelly Greenaway. “For the last two years we’ve been working with Prostate Cancer UK to create a campaign called Dispose with Dignity, to support men dealing with male incontinence, ensuring they have what they need to dispose of their incontinence products behind the cubicle door. Specifying, supplying and installing the NHS-branded urinal mats from P-Wave is a natural progression from this programme.
“Social value has become such a big part of large organisations DNA. Many of our key customers, such as Sodexo and Balfour Beatty have strong ESG strategies, and really understand social value, so creating a safe place and focusing on men’s health is extremely important to them,” concludes Kelly Greenaway.
For more about this important washroom wellbeing initiative visit: www.p-wave.co.uk/nhs.
For more information about cancer symptoms, visit nhs.uk/cancersymptoms.
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