NHS Breast Screening Programme Service Information

Screening Office Direct Dial – 01332 785691

Organisation of Breast Screening

The South Derbyshire & South East Staffordshire Breast Screening Service (BSS) has a screening population of approximately 135,000 women. The Screening Office selects and invites women that are registered with a GP practice (GPP) within the programme’s eligible age range (50, up to 71st birthday). The women due for screening are identified within the BSS 3-year screening round plan.

NHS.UK provides an overview of the breast screening process and what happens at an appointment.

Women eligible for screening are invited according to their GPP; they are sent a timed appointment. Women aged 71 or over are not invited for screening but can request an appointment every 3 years by contacting their local BSS.

Women identified as being at very high risk of breast cancer are invited for annual screening from the age of 30.  Women can self refer in accordance with their screening protocol once they are aged 71 or over.

We send screening results out by post and inform the GPP of any subsequent diagnosis and treatment.

We send each GPP a report for every eligible woman registered with them, regardless of whether the women attend for screening or not (DNA). We send a GPP summary report to the practice 6 months after completing screening for the whole eligible screening population for that practice.

Eligibility for breast screening

We invite all women aged 50, up to their 71st birthday who are registered with a GPP within our screening area.

Local breast screening locations

Screening for your patients is carried out on the Mobile Unit at Swadlincote Health Centre, Civic Way Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 0AU

Second stage screening and any subsequent treatment is carried out at Royal Derby Hospital, Derby / Queen’s Hospital, Burton upon Trent.

Women with additional needs

We invite women for screening at a static screening site if we know in advance that they have any kind of additional needs due to learning, mobility or language difficulties. Our static sites are at Royal Derbyshire Hospital and Queen’s Hospital Burton. We can offer a longer appointment time to make sure the radiographers have enough time to adjust their technique as required and complete the imaging. The screening images may be reviewed and checked before the woman leaves the department. This reduces the chance that she will need to have the images repeated.

Women with symptoms

Women of any age who present to their GPP with breast problems should be assessed and referred to the symptomatic breast clinic in accordance with NICE guidelines.

Breast screening for transgender and non-binary people

A leaflet which outlines breast screening for transgender and non-binary people is available. (It also covers other screening programmes.)

People registered as male at their GPP are not routinely invited for breast screening, nor can their GPP arrange a breast screening appointment on their behalf.

If someone has not had chest reconstruction (top surgery) and is aged 50 or over, they should talk to their GP who can arrange for them to have mammograms at a local hospital.

If someone has had chest reconstruction (top surgery), they should talk with their surgeon about the amount of breast tissue remaining. If their surgeon confirms they still have breast tissue, they can ask their GP to refer them for mammograms at a local hospital.

Non-attenders

We send a second letter to women who do not respond to their first invitation letter, asking them again to contact the service to book an appointment.

Further information for women

Further information to help you respond to patient questions about breast screening is available, including: