State of the art mobile unit to bring breast screening to the communities of Liverpool

A new mobile unit has been launched to improve breast screening uptake among women in some of the hardest to reach areas of Liverpool. 

The project has been led by NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, which has introduced a state-of-the-art Mobile Breast Screening Unit to deliver breast screening services in the heart of the city, making it easier to access screening and improving health outcomes of local women.
 
Currently, women in Liverpool are offered breast screening services at Broadgreen Hospital, a location that isn’t served by a direct bus route when travelling from the North and Central parts of the city. Bringing services direct to local communities will help to eliminate some of the barriers women face when they are invited along to their screening.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK. Early detection dramatically improves survival rates close to 100%, highlighting the importance of regular screening. 

Currently Central and North Liverpool have some of the lowest screening uptake rates in the country, falling well below the national benchmark of 70–80%.
 
Dr Anu Shrotri, Director of Breast Screening, said: “For many women in our city, giving up half a day to travel across the city to attend a breast screening appointment simply isn’t an option. By offering accessible services closer to home we hope to increase uptake and early detection of breast cancer and ultimately save lives.”

The mobile unit will initially be based in the car park of Goodison Park, now the home of Everton Football Club's Women's Team. Its location will rotate across the north end and central parts of the city as new locations are identified in the near future. The unit can accommodate up to 50 breast screenings per day and will operate between 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday, by appointment only.  
 
Although the initial priority is to focus on breast screening in different parts of the city, the multifunctional unit will also cater for other health screening services in the near future, such as Maternity and Diabetic Eye where uptake is historically low among women. 

Natalie Hudson, Executive Managing Director for the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, which manages breast services for UHL Group, said: “To better meet the needs of the populations we serve, we are working hard to improve how we deliver some of our services and how we tackle preventable ill-health in the future. By bringing these services directly into our local communities with innovations such as the mobile breast screening unit, we hope to see improved outcomes and reduced inequalities across the city.”
The mobile unit saw its first patients on the 12th January and will rotate through priority locations throughout the year.