Ruth Edwards has welcomed over £1.6 million in Government funding for Nottingham University Hospitals Trust to speed up the number of patients it can screen for breast cancer.
This comes as part of the 2021 Spending Review where £2.3 billion was announced to create more diagnostic appointments.
The funding is earmarked for two brand new mobile screening units, each costing £768,000, and an upgrade of two existing mobile units which comes in at just under £120,000.
Newer mobile units will allow NHS staff to have more flexibility to reach areas of the county where more checks for breast cancer are needed and to reduce travel time to appointments for patients.
Women between the ages of 50 and 71 will be invited for NHS breast screening every 3 years and the new mobile units will be essential in reaching more patients, especially those who cannot travel to an appointment.
Breast screening (or mammograms) use X-rays to detect breast cancers in patients whilst they are too small to feel and before any other symptoms appear. This means screening is essential to early detection which can see survival rates jump to as high as 99%.
Ruth said “I am thrilled that Nottingham University Hospitals Trust is receiving this extra funding to increase the number of mobile units for its breast cancer screening service.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer for women in the UK and early diagnosis is vital. I want to thank everyone who is working to diagnose and treat breast cancer in Nottinghamshire.
I hope that these new screening units will help them to give more women the peace of mind or early diagnosis that they need quickly.”
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