AN EVENT has been held to promote lifesaving breast screening to women across Worcestershire with learning disabilities.
‘My Breasts and Me’ was run by the Worcestershire Community Learning Disability Team to increase the number of women with learning disabilities attending mammogram appointments.
More than 90 per cent of attendees will now be more likely to access routine breast screening.
The vent offered the opportunity for the women to meet with mammographers and staff at the Worcestershire Breast Unit to find out more about how breast screening is carried out and how to check breasts for changes or abnormalities.
The day, tailored to the individual needs of those in attendance, intends to alleviate anxieties or worries around the procedure.
Saffron Davies, community learning disability nurse for the South Worcestershire Community Learning Disability Team, said: “We hope each year continues to raise awareness of important health inequality issues that people with learning disabilities face and how we can work together and in partnership with people with learning disabilities and their support networks, to break down the barriers they face to accessing basic health screenings such as mammograms.”
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK, with around 56,000 cases diagnosed each year.
Women are invited for NHS breast screening every three years between the ages of 50 and 71.
Screening use specialist X-rays to look for cancers that are too small to see or feel.
People of any age who have concerns about changes or lumps in their breasts are encouraged to contact their GP, even if they have recently had a clear breast screening.
