Norfolk women to benefit from expanded digital Breast Screening Service

The Breast Screening service run by the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH) has become fully digital and the existing screening unit based at the Norwich Community Hospital has been expanded and refurbished.

The NNUH runs breast screening services for women aged from 47 upwards with women being screened at static sites in Norwich and Cromer and on two mobile units which travel around the county.

Breast Screening facilities in Norwich are provided at the Norwich Community Hospital on Bowthorpe Road. Previously all screening mammograms were performed using analogue mammography units producing images on film. As a result, screening women attending on mobile units had the risk of being recalled as the quality of image had to be processed and checked at a later date. All the analogue units have been replaced with fully digital units enabling the radiographic staff to assess image quality as soon as the examination has been performed.

Yvonne Pointer, Deputy Superintendent Radiographer, Breast Imaging said: “The benefit of being fully digital means that all women are able to have their screening mammograms checked immediately following their examination. This new equipment also means that fewer women will have to be recalled because their mammography was inconclusive, thus reducing anxiety in well women.”

She added: “Now that we are inviting women aged 47 and over our screening population has increased to in excess of 30,000 women per year. The new digital equipment will enable us to cope with this extra capacity and enables the breast tissue in the younger women to be seen more clearly.”

The Norwich breast Screening unit is officially marking the refurbishment and expansion of the service with a cake cutting at 3pm on Tuesday 10th December.