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Boudicca Breast Unit services

Surgical Consultants:

Breast Physicians:

  • Dr Hannah Rawlins
  • Dr Patsy Mckenna
  • Mr A Awad – Specialises in breast problems and sees patients in both the breast assessment and follow up clinics
  • Hannah Short
  • Kate Read

Breast Surgical Nurse Practitioners:

  • Angeline Embuscado
  • Reginald Salvador

Clinical Nurse Specialists – Breast Care service

Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm

  • Joann McGrath
  • Caroline Daly
  • Jo Cullen
  • Lynne Priestley
  • Kit Holland
  • Andrea English
  • Sarah Wratten

Support secretaries:

  • Hannah Green
  • Alicia Bolton

Our specialist nurses work in conjunction with the patient, their family / carers, MDT members and other support services, across both the acute and community settings, to ensure continuity, adequate information and holistic care. Specialist nurses look after breast cancer patients and their family’s psychological needs and can arrange for referral to other support services where required.

BCNs are experienced qualified nurses who have under taken specialist training in the care of patients with breast cancer. The nurse is normally present in the clinic during your consultation with the surgeon or breast care Doctor. The Breast Care Nurse will explain in more detail the information given to you by the doctor and explain in more depth any treatment you may be offered. They will give you time to talk about any worries you have and give you further opportunity to ask questions about your breast cancer and its treatment.

You will be given their contact number so you can contact them outside of your clinic appointments.

Breast Assessment clinics

The Breast Unit has approximately 120 new breast referral / consultations a week. These clinics have a dedicated radiology service available to perform some types of breast procedures relevant to assessing and diagnosing breast problems. However, due to the volume of referrals, at times this service isn’t always available on the day and you’ll be invited back for a further appointment. Currently these clinics are available four mornings a week.

Breast Unit Follow Up Clinic

This clinic is for patients already under going follow up for breast problems. These clinics are mornings and afternoons throughout the week. You may not always see the consultant but you will be assessed by a doctor specialising in various types of breast problems.

Breast Reconstruction / Oncoplastic Clinic

  • Mr Mina Youssef, Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon
  • Mr Maged Hussein, Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon

Patients are seen for discussion and follow up for Delayed and Immediate Breast Reconstruction.

Our Plastic Surgery department also sees patients referred to us for breast reconstruction.

Plastic Surgery department

The department comprises of four Breast Reconstruction surgeons:

Family History Clinics

These are held in the Surgical Out-patients department. The aims of the clinic are to identify and manage women at risk of familial breast cancer, which accounts for up to 20% of cases. The service provided includes risk evaluation and explanation, mammographic surveillance where appropriate and onward referral to other specialists when needed: for genetic testing and discussion of risk reducing surgery. Factors that raise a concern of familial breast cancer include young age of breast cancer in families, several cases of breast cancer in women related to each other, families with both breast and ovarian cancer and male breast cancer.

A good source of information is the Breast Cancer Now website.

Referral to the clinic is by GP referral or from another Consultant. Please make sure you have as much detail as possible regarding your family history if you attend your GP to discuss referral to this clinic.

Trials

Clinical trials are research studies that look at different aspects of patient care. They are a routine part of the work of specialist breast cancer centres. Results from past clinical trials help doctors give you advice on your current treatment.

Trials look at new treatments or different ways of giving existing treatment, such as surgical techniques, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Others may look at reducing the likelihood of getting breast cancer or looking at diagnosing or treating it.

Before trials can begin they have to be rigorously approved by independently groups and also by a research ethics committee – these are made up of non-medical people as well as healthcare professionals.

Some patients may be eligible to enter trials at the NNUH but you will never be entered into a trial without your knowledge and without giving your informed consent. This means fully understanding the purpose of the trial, why you are considered suitable for it and what it will mean to you.

You will be given written information and plenty of time to discuss your options with a Research Nurse and / or your specialist team. If you have been asked to participate in a trial but prefer not to, don’t feel guilty or worried that your doctors will treat you differently, you will continue to have your treatment and care as before.

Seroma / Wound check clinic

  • Monday: 9 – 11.30am
  • Wednesday: 9 – 11.30am
  • Thursday: 9 – 11.30am
  • Friday: 9 – 11.30am

Breast prosthesis clinic

Following a Mastectomy (removal of the breast), surgery patients are referred to the Breast prosthesis clinic for assessment and fitting of a breast prosthesis. An appointment will be sent to you. You will be seen in approximately 9 weeks following your mastectomy surgery, to enable healing to take place.

If it has been sometime since your last fitting and you need a replacement, contact the Breast prosthesis clinic directly and they will arrange an appointment for you.

Phone number: 01603 641123