Women are receiving late breast cancer diagnoses and experiencing treatment delays due to a shortage of specialist staff who can deliver breast cancer scans, according to leading radiographers.
Specialist scans that are used to detect breast cancer are undertaken by radiographers, also known as mammographers, who specialise in breast imaging.
According to the Society of Radiographers, the latest vacancy rate among screening mammographers stands at 17.5%, and for symptomatic mammographers, who scan women who find a lump in their breast or those who have a family history of breast cancer, at almost a fifth of the workforce (19.8%).
All women in England aged between 50 and 71 are invited for breast screening every three years.
Dean Rogers, the director of industrial strategy at the Society of Radiographers, said that the shortages were leading to women experiencing delays in cancer diagnoses, and that more mammographers needed to be recruited urgently.
“Our members work incredibly hard in order to provide a comprehensive service, despite staff shortages. But there’s no way that a department with 20% – or higher – vacancies can do the work of a full complement of mammographers. And, unfortunately, this may mean that some women’s cancers are not detected as promptly as they should be. Inevitably, any delay in detection and diagnosis means that cases become more complex and harder to treat.”
He added that the NHS must urgently recruit more mammographers to meet rising demand, and raise salaries to encourage more radiographers to join the profession, rather than “driving them away”.
Rachael Franklin, the interim chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: “These shocking staff shortages in mammography in the NHS are contributing to delays in people with breast cancer receiving a diagnosis and accessing life-changing treatments that could give them the best chance of survival.
“Breast Cancer Now’s No Time to Waste campaign is calling for urgent investment into the breast screening programme to guarantee women’s access to screening, now and in the future.
“The new UK government must prioritise tackling the workforce crisis to ensure its sustainability; recruiting, training, retaining and supporting staff to ensure that cancer patients receive the care they deserve.
“Anyone looking for support or information about breast cancer can speak to our expert nurses by calling our free helpline on 0808 800 6000.”
An NHS spokesperson said: “We recognise the need to increase the number of radiographers working in the NHS, which is why our NHS long-term workforce plan sets out a roadmap to increase training places for diagnostic radiographers by almost two-fifths by 2031-32 – including through both apprenticeship routes and traditional undergraduate courses.”
