South Essex Breast Screening Service

Welcome to the South Essex NHS Breast Screening service. Our Southend Hospital breast unit and its three dedicated mobile screening vans, currently cater for a population of approximately 94,000 women from the Shoebury, Thorpe Bay, Southend, Westcliff, Leigh, Thundersley, Canvey, Basildon, Stanford, Corringham, Grays, Lakeside, Rochford, Hockley, Rayleigh, Billericay and Wickford areas.

Update - 24-03-20 - Breast screening

Due to the current COVID19 risk we have regrettably paused breast screening so our radiographers can support critical inpatient services.

If you have a booked appointment or are expecting an appointment please be aware that breast screening will not be taking place and you will received another invitation in due course.

During this time staffing levels may be low, therefore there will be a delay getting through to the breast screening office.

In the meantime, if you have any changes in your breast or symptoms that are causing you concern, please contact your General Practitioner (GP).

If you're experiencing symptoms that concern you please stay indoors, avoid contact with others and ring NHS 111 or go online to 111.nhs.uk for advice.

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The breast screening service was first introduced to the NHS in 1987, following a report which highlighted the importance of implementing a high quality screening service to reduce mortality of women from breast cancer.

To achieve this, mammograms (X-rays) of both breasts are taken and then interpreted by two highly qualified mammography film readers.

Current statistics show that approximately one in eight women in the UK will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.

The aim of this service is to detect breast cancer at an early stage, often before any symptoms have been noted, so that treatment may therefore be simpler, more effective and enable a better chance of recovery.

Currently our mobile screening units are located in Grays, Rayleigh and Canvey Island.

At the end of January 2020 the Rayleigh mobile will be moving to Warrior Square in Southend.

Contact breast screening office: 01702 385024

Email: bss@southend.nhs.uk

Useful links:

http://wommen.org.uk

This is a hub intended to complement the NHS breast screening information already available. It is an independent website with lots of information, videos and chat forums.