caring Communication

vital service wins award
award winners
praised for
‘immense effort
and planning’
Diabetic RetinaScreen hosts ‘5 Nations’ event in Dublin - The bi-annual meeting of the five diabetic retinopathy
screening programmes from Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales was hosted by Diabetic RetinaScreen
in Dublin in November. The meeting was attended by the clinical leads, programme management and
administrative representatives of each of the five programmes and provided an opportunity to share and compare
programme learnings and experiences as well as new approaches and developments in diabetic retinopathy
screening. This collaborative approach allows Diabetic RetinaScreen to review initiatives that could enhance and
improve the programme offered to participants. Back row (l-r): Dr Caroline Styles, Consultant Ophthalmologist,
NHS Scotland; Mike Black, Scottish DRS Collaborative Co-ordinator, Prof. Peter Scanlon, Consultant Ophthalmologist,
NHS UK; Mr David Keegan, Clinical Director, Diabetic RetinaScreen; Helen Kavanagh, Treatment Co-ordinator,
Diabetic RetinaScreen; Dr Adrian Mairs, Public Health Lead for the NI AAA Screening Programme & the NI Diabetic
Retinopathy Screening Programme. Front row (l-r): Fiona Morgan, Information Support Officer, DRS NI; Colette
Murphy, Programme Manager, Diabetic RetinaScreen; Andrew Crowder, Programme Manager, DRS Wales; Catherine
Cooney, Administration Support, Diabetic RetinaScreen; Dr Michael Quinn, Clinical Lead, DRS NI. Photo:
Paul SharpPicnic 2015.
screening stats for
2014-2015 published
by breastcheck
BreastCheck – The National Breast
Screening Programme has published its
screening statistics for 2014-2015. The
programme aims to detect breast cancers
at the earliest possible stage. At this point, a
detected cancer is usually easier to treat and
there are greater treatment options available.
The statistics relate to women aged 50-64
who were invited for screening in 2014. During
the reporting period (1 January-31 December
2014) 177,724 eligible women were invited for
screening and 135,966 women attended for
their mammogram. The uptake rate at 76.5pc
was a significant increase from the previous
year (70.2pc) and surpassed the programme
standard of 70pc.
890 women had a cancer detected, representing
6.5 cancers for every 1,000 women
screened. Women who have a breast cancer
detected are supported throughout their
journey by radiographers, radiologists, surgeons,
pathologists, breast care nurses and
administrative staff who are experienced and
committed to providing care of the highest
standard.
Some 198 women were diagnosed with a
ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). DCIS is an
early form of breast cancer where the cancer
cells have not spread within or outside the
breast. If DCIS is not treated, the cells may
spread and become an invasive cancer. It is
thought that low grade DCIS is less likely to
become an invasive cancer than high grade,
yet it is impossible to predict exactly. Just over
nine per cent of DCIS detected by BreastCheck
during the reporting period was low grade.
In 2014, uptake remained highest among
women who had previously participated in
the programme. BreastCheck is now in its
sixteenth year of screening and has provided
almost 1.37 million mammograms to over
480,000 women and detected more than
8,500 cancers.
BreastCheck is extending screening upwards
to women aged 69. BreastCheck
achieved its target of inviting 1,000 women in
the older age cohort by year-end 2015. Extension
will continue and by the end of 2021, all
eligible women aged 50-69 will be invited for
free routine mammograms.
St Francis Hospice Dublin has won the
Not for Profit Organisation Excellence Award
at the Fingal Dublin Chamber of Commerce
Business Excellence and Corporate
Responsibility Awards.
The award was in recognition of St Francis
Hospice Dublin’s contribution to the Fingal
Dublin region. The contributions to the
Fingal Dublin region which the independent
judges recognized were the planning,
development and opening of the new 24-bed
St Francis Hospice in Blanchardstown and
the community learning and development
programmes delivered by the hospice’s
Education Department.
The independent judges said, in awarding
the Excellence Award to the hospice, “St
Francis Hospice provides a vital service to the
local community but through immense effort
and careful planning, they have extended
their services and their reach far beyond
expectations. Their dedication, commitment
and fundamental understanding of the needs
of those they support is inspiring and the
quality of the service they provide is second
to none.”
In 2015, it is estimated that St Francis
Hospice Blanchardstown will treat, in the
Fingal Dublin region, 540 patients in their
own homes, 200 in-patients, there will be
820 visits to Hospice Day Care and 500
attendances at the Out-Patient Departments.
On receiving the award, Fintan Fagan,
CEO, St Francis Hospice Dublin, said,
“The receipt of Fingal Dublin Chamber’s
Excellence Award is a timely recognition
of the hard work and dedication of all the
voluntary board directors, management,
staff and volunteers of St Francis Hospice
over the past 25 years. It is also important to
acknowledge with sincere thanks the support
of the HSE and the many St Francis Hospice
voluntary supporters in the communities of
the Fingal Dublin region.”
St Francis Hospice, Dublin.
spring 2016 | health matters | 59