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 - 29-06-20 - Breast
screening resumes
We are pleased to announce that a reduced capacity screening
programme will return from Monday 29th June 2020. Appointments will
only be available only at the Breast Unit at Southend Hospital
until our mobile units are safe to open.
We are initially working through those who had their appointment
cancelled due to the pause in service and then moving on to those
who were due to recieve their 3 yearly scan.
If you have any questions about the way screening will now run
or whether you will be due to recieve a new appointment please
contact the screening office on 01702 385024.
Please note that it may take longer than usual for you to
recieve your invitation for breast screening due to the number of
patients we need to catch up on and the reduced clinic capacity we
now have.
In the meantime, if you have any changes in your breasts or
symptoms that are causing you concern, please contact your General
Practitioner (GP).
------
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, Southend and Canvey Island. PLEASE NOTE the mobile
units are currently closed until further notice.
Contact breast screening office: 01702 385024
Email: bss@southend.nhs.uk
Useful links
Pink leaflet 'helping women decide' available here in various
languages- Click here
NHS choices website for a comprehensive index of information- Click Here
More information about breast screening with implants- Click Here
An easy read leaflet about breast screening for people with
learning disabilities- Click Here