Breast Cancer Screening for Women with Sight Loss  

As part of our #MakeHealthAccessible Campaign, TPT is working in partnership with the NHS Breast Screening Service Education Team to improve blind and partially sighted women’s experience of this potentially life-saving service. 

What is the NHS Breast Screening Service? 

• Anyone registered with a GP as female will be invited for NHS breast screening every 3 years between the ages of 50 and 71. You will get a letter in the post inviting you. 

• Breast screening uses a test called mammography which involves taking x-rays of the breasts. Screening can help to find breast cancers early when they are too small to see or feel. These cancers are usually easier to treat than larger ones. Overall, the breast screening programme finds cancer in around 9 out of every 1,000 women having screening. (Cancer Research UK). 

Breast Screening & Sight Loss 

Although there is no specific data on the percentage of BPS Women attending breast screening, according to a study, women with disabilities were 36% less likely to attend breast screening (Disability and participation in breast and bowel cancer screening in England: a large prospective study). For women with sight loss there are many factors that can result in not attending screening, including inaccessibility of appointment letters, lack of appropriate affordable accessible transport, inaccessibility of screening venue, lack of staff awareness/training or a previously poor experience of screening. Even where reasonable adjustments are available, lack of information on NHS care records about patients’ needs result in appropriate support not being offered.  

What Are We Doing to Improve the Experience of Screening and Increase Take-Up? 

We know that to make breast screening services as accessible and equitable as possible, we need to equip all relevant staff with the right knowledge and resources. To make this a reality, together with NHS training leads, we have designed an online training module for NHS breast screening staff that will provide much needed lived – experience informed insights when working with blind and partially sighted women. 

The training will be available on the NHS e-Learning website and will form part of the induction process for new screening staff. It will also be promoted to existing staff and students of relevant courses across the country.  

TPT’s own staff have been involved in providing their lived experience of using breast screening services and will be recording video content that will be included in the online course.  

What Will the Training Include? 

• Understanding sight loss, its impacts and challenges 

• Legal and ethical considerations, reasonable adjustments and communication Strategies 

• Preparing the screening environment  

• Facilities, reception & sighted Guiding 

• Positioning and technique modification 

• Addressing anxiety and ensuring comfort 

• Hearing from women with lived experience  

• Recommendations & useful resources 

Claire Borelli, Education Manager & Clinical Training Lead, St George’s National Breast Education Centre says:  

‘The value of NHS partnership with the third sector and people with lived experience is crucial in enhancing equity by: 

Ensuring healthcare services reflect diverse needs. 

Improving access and trust between both parties. 

Empowering marginalised groups. 

Driving innovation for the future. 

Promoting accountability at all times. 

This collaborative approach leads to more inclusive, responsive, and fair health services, ultimately reducing health disparities.’ 

TPT’s Presentation at the Symposium Mammographicum 

The Symposium Mammographicum is a key event in the national and international conference calendar for those interested in breast diagnosis and care. This year’s conference in Bournemouth provided us with the perfect opportunity to deliver a presentation on the work we are doing to promote equity in a vital health service and promote our forthcoming training module.