Women in three areas of Merseyside are missing vital breast cancer screening appointments due to the lack of direct bus services.
Brenda Nasr, practice manager at Earl Road Medical Centre in Liverpool 7, fears that women from postcodes L7, L8 and L15 are missing appointments after screening was moved from The Women's Hospital to Broadgreen.
This is due to there being no direct bus route to the hospital, with a service that used to run along Earl Road to Broadgreen having been stopped.
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There is currently a portable unit at The Women's Hospital until July and Brenda wants to encourage women who have been invited to attend by letter, not to miss their appointment.
Brenda told the ECHO: "Initially, if a patient did not attend a previous appointment we’re trying to get them to attend first. Some practices in L7, L8 and L15 had a 60% plus uptake when letters were sent out. When it moved in 2013 some dropped to below 50%”.
In 2019 Brenda won a Practice Manager award from the Royal College of General Practice for a project she ran. She obtained free bus passes and did education events within the community and as a result increased screening uptake from 50% to 83%, but has fallen again.
Brenda added: "National uptake is 71%. We would like to get ours to 83%. My Mum and my aunts died of breast cancer and that's why I was so adamant to help others to get tested. I’m very passionate about it and I want these women to have an informed choice".
Women from 50 to 71 are called for screening every three years, but Adele Connah who was diagnosed before this said: "It's not just older women with breast cancer, more and more younger women are being diagnosed. I thought that [it was just older women], until I was diagnosed myself at 47.
“A lot of women in the breast cancer group are pushing to get to the earlier age of 30 for screening. I think one of the biggest things for going to a mammogram is to find it early. To self check yourself for lumps.
"The understanding of different cancers is important, I didn't really know of them until I was diagnosed. One of the major things is people have much better outcomes from an early diagnosis.
"It should be routine, like the way women receive a letter for a smear test. During my recovery I developed a basket of products to help women going through chemotherapy treatment with products that help them with make-up, taste issues, wigs and much more”.
Marie O'reilly was a patient at Earl Road and went for a screening at Broadgreen but had difficulty in getting there.
She added: "It's important you go and get screened, and it's important it's accessible. Broadgreen does not have a direct bus route by it like the Women's. The Women’s is a woman friendly environment and that is what is great about it and it’s close to the Linda McCartney Centre too.
“The bus service is not good. It's not an easy place to get to from this side of Liverpool, especially in winter. I had to walk the long way down, I’m on a stick. When I got there I missed the bus.
“Had I been a woman with kids or no one to mind them, it would be a problem. If I didn't have money I would have missed the appointment and I managed to get a taxi.
"I went to the screening, and they found something they needed to look at again. I was referred to the Linda McCartney centre, fortunately it came back clear.
To promote the benefits and help women respond to letters, Brenda said there should be: "Community education in the various faith groups and community champions trained to pass the word. Maybe flexible appointment times for people who work or mind their grandchildren.
“Social media to promote screening. Women should give advice to their children about the importance of attending and self-examination. If they find a lump to seek medical advice.
"There’s a role for schools to play in helping get the message out in the community. Secondary school children will be the citizens of tomorrow. Help them take on board the importance of screening and looking after yourself".
For information visit NHS HERE
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