Women, who are currently not registered for breast screening, will shortly be automatically invited for the potentially lifesaving examination, thanks to enhancements being made to the service.
A project by Health and Community Services to ensure all eligible women are automatically called up for breast screening will get underway in 2025.
The project is only possible thanks to a new £255,000 mammography machine paid for by The John Clive Le Seelleur Trust, and funding from the charity Jersey Cancer Relief for additional members of staff.
Currently, women need to register for breast screening when they turn 50. However, in 2025, women will be automatically invited for breast screening during their fiftieth year. They will be able to opt-out if they wish.
Over the next two years, women who are already eligible for screening but who have not registered for the service will be contacted and invited for a mammogram. It means that from 2027 all eligible women will be automatically called up rather than having to inform HCS that they would like to be screened.
In order to provide this enhanced service, a second mammography machine was required in Jersey.
The machine, at the Enid Quenault Health and Wellbeing Centre, will be used for routine screenings. It will also offer resilience if the mammography machine at the General Hospital, which is used for symptomatic patients, requires repair.
Jersey Cancer Relief is also supporting the move to an extended service by funding the staffing on the new Enid Quenault unit for three years – equating to around £530,000. This funding will pay for a full-time administrator, a mammographer as well as the training of an associate practitioner in mammography. This is the first time this training has been offered in Jersey. The funding will also pay for a locum while the associate practitioner undergoes training.
Meanwhile, a new mammography machine to replace the current machine at the General Hospital, funded by HCS, is due to be installed in the first quarter of next year.
Assistant Minister for Health and Social Services, Deputy Andy Howell, said: “I’m delighted to announce changes to our breast screening programme which will both improve a woman’s access to care and their experience as a patient.
“I would like to thank Jersey Cancer Relief and The John Clive Le Seelleur Trust for their incredible support which means that we can ensure that all women are invited for breast screening when they become eligible. Early detection is vital in saving lives.”
Anne Pryke, Chair of Jersey Cancer Relief, said: “We are proud to support this new initiative and pave the way for all eligible women in Jersey to access breast cancer screening as part of an opt-out rather than opt-in service. Screening and prevention align with our charity constitution and over the years we have worked closely with the screening team on projects like these.”
