Industry News
Ashton Old Baths Is Latest To Join The BOG STANDARD Charter And Install Sanitary Bins For Men With Incontinence
Ashton Old Baths in Ashton Under Lyne, Greater Manchester is the latest organisation to sign up to Prostate Cancer UK and phs Group’s The BOG STANDARD. The initiative, which seeks to increase the number of sanitary bins for men in public spaces, supports men with incontinence, many of whom have had lifesaving prostate cancer treatment.
One in eight men will get prostate cancer, rising to one in four men if you’re Black or have a family history of the disease. Of these men, almost two- thirds1
life-saving prostate cancer treatment.
Around 300 people visit the Ashton Old Baths offices, managed by the Oxford Innovation Space over the course of every week, and approximately 65% of these are men. This means there are a huge number of people using the building at risk from the most common cancer in men, and from incontinence which can come as a side effect of treatment.
Despite these startling figures, few organisations are set up to care for men with incontinence, but this won’t be an issue for men at Ashton Old Baths. Ashton Old Baths have installed bins for men across every male washroom in the building.
Ashton Old Baths is the latest building in Greater Manchester to install specially designed sanitary bins for men in male toilets, following in the footsteps of other organisations in the area,
including
Manchester United. The bins cater for men with incontinence, many of whom have had life-saving prostate cancer treatment.
By supporting men and implementing these measures, Ashton Old Baths has signed up to The BOG STANDARD - the minimum standards that Prostate Cancer UK and hygiene services provider phs Group is asking organisations to implement to cater for men with incontinence.
The BOG STANDARD Charter is a tiered
accreditation, which allows clubs to make the minimum commitment to men that phs Group and Prostate Cancer UK are asking of businesses. • Bronze - installation of sanitary bins- the
minimum BOG STANDARD accreditation – the accreditation Ashton Old Baths has achieved. • Silver - installation of sanitary bins and male incontinence products, to support men who may be caught without while out and about • Gold - implementation of the above, and a commitment to promoting prostate cancer and incontinence awareness.
Fiona Ogden Georgia Taylor & Lisa North (60%) will go on experience incontinence as a side effect of
Cancer UK’s Dispose with Dignity initiative launched in February 2023. phs Group is the only hygiene provider that offers bins designed specifically for male incontinence products, which have been developed with Prostate Cancer UK supporters.
Matthew Brabin, CEO of phs Group said: “At a time when men need to be supported by businesses and workplaces, perhaps after receiving prostate cancer treatment, too many men are too anxious to leave the house, because the right facilities aren’t there for them. Whether it’s going to work, a conference, to their local sports club or even to the local for a pint, when there are no sanitary bins, men with incontinence are staying at home, when they should be with us. This is what our Dispose with Dignity initiative is trying to change, and we’re so pleased to see Ashton Old Baths join the fight by signing up to The BOG STANDARD Charter.”
phs Group is the UK, Ireland and Spain’s leading hygiene services provider, and has been working with Prostate Cancer UK, the leading men’s health charity since 2023, to campaign for better facilities for men with incontinence as a part of their Dispose with Dignity scheme.
Prostate Cancer UK is the largest public funder of prostate cancer research in the UK and has invested over £120 million into research that has made diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer safer and more accurate than ever before. The charity has also helped tens of thousands of men campaign for change, sharing their stories to influence policymakers, and advocating to fight health inequalities, raise lifesaving awareness, and improve access to treatments and support that improve men’s lives and create a brighter future for men living with and after the most common cancer in the UK; prostate cancer.
Nick Ridgman, Head of Support Services at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “Many men need sanitary bins so they can dispose of their used pads discreetly and hygienically - but often these bins are nowhere to be found in men’s loos. It’s causing men stress and shame and keeping them from going to work and doing the things they love.
Fiona Ogden from Ashton Old Baths and Oxford Innovation Space said: “I was watching the TV in the morning while getting ready for work and saw a fantastic segment about the initiative on Good Morning Britain with two men speaking openly about incontinence and prostate cancer, and it really struck a chord with me. Having sanitary bins is something we take for granted as women, and it dawned on me suddenly how unfair it is that men don’t have access to the same facilities.
“I had a very close friend who passed away from cancer, who used a stoma bag. Looking back I saw him limit where he would go, only visiting venues where he knew he would be able to access a bin in the cubicle. I now understand this is the experience of so many men.”
A total of 2,172 businesses and organisations across the UK have now signed up to The BOG STANDARD. Over 24,000 specially designed sanitary bins for men have been installed since phs Group and Prostate
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“Ashton Old Baths is now more welcoming and accessible for everyone, and we hope other companies will follow. We wholeheartedly support the Dispose with Dignity initiative and hope to see the UK Government supporting our call to change HSE guidance and make sanitary bins for men in washrooms a mandatory requirement. This is the only way we can ensure men will have access to a male sanitary bin if they’re using toilets in public spaces. Prostate Cancer UK is here for every man who’s navigating prostate cancer. If you need any support or information, you can talk to our Specialist Nurses on 0800 074 8383 or via our website.”
Fiona Ogden of Ashton Old Baths concluded: “Having the bins is already having an impact in our space, and two young men have personally thanked me for opening conversations around a topic they’ve never considered before. Making a difference to people, just by installing a bin is so simple. We knew we wanted to act.”
For more information about The BOG STANDARD please visit
https://phs.co.uk/maleincontinence
1:
https://www.goldjournal.net/article/S0090-4295(10)00019-1/abstract
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