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6
Focus | Autumn 2010
Pennine Breast
Screen Service
Focus takes a look at the Foundation Trust’s
Pennine Breast Screening Service as October is
Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Staff from the Pennine unit who took part in the Race for Life
The Pennine Service which operates out
of St Luke’s Hospital is the largest of the 11
breast screening programmes across North
East Yorkshire and the Humber.
The team, which is made up of surgeons,
radiologists and radiographers, specialist
breast care nurses and administrators,
currently sees more than 3,300 women
a month at clinics throughout Airedale,
Bradford, Calderdale, Dewsbury and
Huddersfield.
The unit’s aim is to help in the reduction of
breast cancer mortality rates by detecting
breast cancer early. Last year alone the team
carried out around 35,000 mammograms.
Janette Griggs is the Pennine Breast Screening
Service Co-ordinator. She also acts as the
Quality Assurance Radiography Advisor to the
region’s other breast screening units.
Janette says: “The Pennine Service provides
screening direct to the community using four
mobile trailer units which can be located at
any one of our 40 sites.
“We cover a vast area and our locations
depend on which GPs practices we visit at any
one time.
“We also employ a Health Promotion
Specialist to liaise with hard-to-reach parts
of the community to encourage uptake of
screening appointments.”
Seaside
day out
The service carries out as many as 1,000
breast images every day using the four
mobile trailers and two static units which are
based at St Luke’s and Huddersfield Royal
Infirmary.
Between April 2009 and March 2010,
45,465 women were invited for screening
of which 34,543 attended. Janette adds
that this is roughly in line with the 140,000
women who are invited for a check-up once
every three years.
Latest available figures for 2009 found that
ninety-eight per cent of woman received a
results letter within 14 days compared to
forty-three per cent the previous year. Ninetyfive
per cent of women who required further
tests were offered follow-up appointments
within 21 days in 2009, compared to sixty
per cent in 2008.
“These excellent results were achieved by
increasing our screening capacity to work on
Saturdays and extending our working days,”
Janette added. “We have increased staffing
levels on mobile units and started screening
at sites ahead of our allotted schedule
whenever possible.
”But there are challenges ahead as the
numbers we screen increase and the
maximum two-week wait appointment
system is brought in for all symptomatic
referrals (GP referral of patients with
suspected breast problems) as the unit also
sees these women too.
The team are currently meeting the national
breast screening targets and the unit will
soon start inviting all women aged between
47-to-73-years-old for screening. This will
result in a third more woman being screened
every year.
Plans are also afoot to replace analogue
X-ray and film handling equipment with
improved digital technology.
Pennine’s Fundraising Feats
Every October the Pennine unit raises money
for Breast Cancer Awareness month.
On October 18, staff hosted a pink bun and
cake sale in the unit and October 22 was
‘pink day’ where everyone wore pink and the
Pennine reception was decked out with pink
balloons and posters. Staff also ran a pink
tombola and raffle in St Luke’s main Horton
Wing corridor as well as the Pennine Breast
Screening Unit.
All proceeds from both events will go
towards Breast Cancer Care UK.
Staff from the Pennine unit also took part in
this year’s Race for Life in June where they
raised £400 for Cancer Research UK. In total
staff have raised more than £1,500 for breast
cancer charities over the past couple of years.
This year’s Friends of the BRI’s summer
outing was to Bridlington.
Forty-eight volunteers made the trip
visiting well-known landmarks and
taking a boat around the harbour.
In past years, the Friends have been to
York, Liverpool, Scarborough, Chester and
Southport.
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