Dorset Breast Screening Unit Will Go Digital In 2009
Poole Hospital's breast screening service will soon benefit from digital imaging technology
Women across Dorset will benefit from the latest digital technology for breast screening by the end of this year, thanks to a new funding agreement between NHS Bournemouth & Poole and Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
The Dorset Breast Screening Unit (DBSU), based at Poole Hospital, is set to invest in a range of new equipment in order to provide a better and more efficient screening service for local women.
The investment is part of the DBSU’s expansion to provide routine screening for both younger and older women. The move to digital technology will support the screening of younger women, as the equipment provides better results for women with denser breasts.
At present, the National Breast Screening Programme means that all women aged between 50 and 70 years are invited for screening at three-yearly intervals. However, by 2012 all women aged between 47 and 73 will be invited for screening, and the DBSU is taking steps now to expand its service for local women as soon as possible, with the Unit aiming to be fully digital by the end of 2009.
The DBSU is also in the process of recruiting new staff to increase its capacity, including radiographers and specialist clinicians.
Chris Woodgate, Breast Imaging Manager at Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are delighted that the move to digital is going ahead this year. Thanks to the support and forward thinking of our Trust Board and NHS Bournemouth & Poole, we hope that Dorset women will be amongst the first in the country to benefit from the increased breast screening service.”
Debbie Fleming, Chief Executive of NHS Bournemouth and Poole said: “NHS Bournemouth and Poole is pleased to be working with the hospital to expand the breast screening programme. In future, far more women will be able to access the service and as a result, breast cancer will be detected and treated earlier. This will have a hugely positive impact on the local population.”
Last year, the Dorset Breast Screening Unit saw 29,375 women from across Dorset, and detected 241 cases of cancer.
Date: 12 March 2009