Women in Milton Keynes may be living with undetected breast cancer after screening stopped during lockdown

    Breast Screening will continue at Milton Keynes Hospital during the second lockdown, and women are being urged to attend their next appointment.

    Extra care is being taken to keep all breast screening clients safe, with the service running at a reduced capacity in order to keep appointments well spaced out to keep people socially distanced.

    All hard surfaces that clients come into contact with – including the mammogram machine, door handles and chairs, among other equipment – are wiped down between appointments, and staff are continuing to hand-wash between clients and wear masks and aprons that get changed between clients. One-way systems have also been implemented in the mobile van where some screening takes place, where passages are narrow.

    Dr Sheeba Taneja, consultant radiologist and Director of Breast Screening at MKUH, said: “Women have been worried about attending their breast screening appointments due to the pandemic.

    “Here at MKUH, we want to assure you that screening is continuing to be provided in a safe manner at the hospital and in our mobile van.

    “Breast screening ceased during the previous lockdown, leaving us with a large backlog of women requiring their screen. This delay may mean that some women have been living with an undetected cancer, so we are trying to encourage the women of MK to attend.

    “So, when you receive your invitation for breast screening, please call up and make your appointment with the assurance that your safety is a priority at all our sites.”

    The NHS offers screening to save lives from breast cancer. Screening does this by finding breast cancers at an early stage when they are too small to see or feel. About 1,300 lives are saved from breast cancer each year in the UK.

    All women aged 50 up to their 71st birthday are invited for breast screening every three years. MKUH sends out first invitations to screening sometime between your 50th and 53rd birthdays.

    If you have any queries or concerns about breast screening appointments, please call the Breast Screening office on 01908 995883.

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