Following last week’s statement (Friday 10 February 2023) regarding the temporary suspension of the Isle of Man Breast Screening Programme, please see the below update.
Breast screening has been paused while Island systems are updated and linked with a UK monitoring programme. Services are expected to resume by 24 February 2023.
The Isle of Man Breast Screening Programme is based in the Manx Breast Unit and invites women aged between 50 and 70 to attend a breast screening appointment every two years. The appointment involves a woman having two or more X-rays taken of each breast by a specialist imaging unit. The images produced are mammograms. These mammogram images are sent through secure electronic link to the Greater Manchester Breast Screening Programme team based at Wythenshawe Hospital where specialist Breast Screening Radiologists and Advanced Mammographers view all our mammograms to look for abnormalities which may require further investigation such as further imaging or biopsy. Within the Manchester programme, all mammograms are reported by two Radiologists/Advanced Mammographers – where there is an image with an abnormality detected by one or both of the clinicians, they discuss the image together in a process known as ‘consensus’ where agreement is reached around the abnormality. The details of the abnormality is documented on the image and documentation is completed and sent back to the Isle of Man Breast Screening Team where a further appointment can be made in the Manx Breast Unit and more investigations undertaken.
Approximately 10% of women undergoing breast screening will require additional tests – this does not mean that they have cancer but they require further examinations to exclude cancer. Approximately 0.5% of women screened will have cancer.
As you can see from this outline of the process, traditionally the Isle of Man programme has not been involved in the process of breast screening mammogram reporting, and this has taken place solely in Manchester with information being passed to the Manx Breast Unit team if a lady needed to be recalled for further investigations.
Manx Care’s new Consultant Breast Radiologist has requested that the Isle of Man Programme become part of the mammogram reporting process alongside a second Breast Radiologist based in Manchester, so that any woman who is recalled for further investigations will have had her initial mammogram reported by the Radiologist who is seeing the patient for further investigations, such as a biopsy. This would ensure that our programme adheres more closely with best practice as detailed by the NHS National Breast Screening Programme and the Royal College of Radiologists.
For this reason, Manx Care has temporarily suspended the Breast Screening Programme so that arrangements to allow this to happen can be made, such as the linking up of our Mammography systems. Although the decision to suspend Breast Screening has been a difficult one, Manx Care is of the view that the benefit that the new arrangements will afford the women who will be recalled outweighs the temporary suspension of the service.
Manx Care anticipates these revised contractual and clinical arrangements with the Greater Manchester Breast Screening Programme (GM BSP) will be in place no later than Friday 24 February so that breast screening can recommence the following week, however Manx Care is in daily contact with the Manchester Breast Screening Team to progress the new arrangements and will recommence as soon as the arrangements are finalised.
Any women who require a recall appointment based on a recent assessment will be contacted shortly to have this diarised in Manchester, with all travel arranged for them.
Currently we screen around 150 women per week, however plans are being put in place to catch up with the programme by the end of March through provision of additional clinics within the Manx Breast Unit.
Please contact the Manx Care Advice and Liaison Service (MCALS) if you have any queries or concerns, on mcals@gov.im or +44 1624 642642.
