News

If you’re a woman over the age of 50, the combination of checking your breasts regularly and attending your breast screening appointments gives you the best chance of being diagnosed early – and surviving – breast cancer. Women aged between 50-70 years living in the Western Isles and registered with a GP practice will receive a letter or an invitation to attend the mobile unit. 

In the last round of screening across the Western Isles which took place in 2020, over one in five women didn’t take up the offer of screening, with only 78% of the women invited attending their appointment.  

Ignoring the invitation leaves women at risk. Dr Maggie Watts, Director of Public Health with NHS Western Isles said: “Breast cancer remains the commonest cancer in Western Isles women but it’s also very treatable when caught early. I encourage every woman who is invited to attend for breast screening, to take up the offer.  We are using four central locations across the islands to make it easier for women to be screened; the appointment only takes a few minutes and the staff are welcoming and helpful.”  

This year to maximise the unit’s capacity and reduce empty screening slots, women who previously did not attend their appointment will receive a letter asking them to call the screening centre to make their appointment. Please look out for the letter and take up this opportunity to be screened. 

Attending your breast screening appointment is important for your health. It involves having X-ray images taken of your breasts (mammograms). If you are due to attend for the first time or are worried about what might happen in the appointment, we recommend you have a look at the Health Scotland video, in which actress Elaine C. Smith has her breast screening appointment. The video is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOplwRPhq1o. 

The breast screening mobile unit will be in locations across the Western Isles from August 2023, so look out for it and for your appointment. 

The dates for screening in each location are: 

Barra (Castlebay): Week beginning 21^st August 2023 (0141 800 8800)

Uist (Balivanich): Week beginning 21^st August 2023 

Harris (Tarbert): Week beginning 25th September 2023 

Lewis (Stornoway): Week beginning 9^th October 2023 

Letters will be sent out 4 weeks before your appointment date. If the day is not suitable or you have not received your appointment, please contact:

• 01463 705416 for Barra 
• 01463 705416 for Lewis, Harris and Uist

If you do not want the appointment, please let us know so it can be allocated to someone else. 

The breast screening invite will also be sent to non-binary people who were assigned female at birth (AFAB) and haven't had breast removal surgery, trans women who are taking hormones and trans men who haven't had breast removal surgery.

ENDS 

Notes to Editors: 

1. In Scotland, all women aged 50-70 years are eligible for breast screening and receive individual invitation letters.  Women over the age of 70 can asked to be screened. Women of any age who have concerns at any time should speak to their GP or practice nurse.  
2. Women are invited every 3 years to attend. 
3. Breast screening aims to find breast cancers early. It uses an X-ray test called a mammogram that can spot cancers when they are too small to see or feel. 
4. As a rule, the earlier a cancer is found, the better the outcome. 
5. Breast screening is offered to: non-binary people who were assigned female at birth (AFAB) and haven't had breast removal surgery, trans women who are taking hormones and trans men who haven't had breast removal surgery.  

​

The Breast Screening Mobile Unit is in the Western Isles later this month!

If you’re a woman over the age of 50, the combination of checking your breasts regularly and attending your breast screening appointments gives you the best chance of being diagnosed early – and surviving – breast cancer. Women aged between 50-70 years living in the Western Isles and registered with a GP practice will receive a letter or an invitation to attend the mobile unit. 

In the last round of screening across the Western Isles which took place in 2020, over one in five women didn’t take up the offer of screening, with only 78% of the women invited attending their appointment.  

Ignoring the invitation leaves women at risk. Dr Maggie Watts, Director of Public Health with NHS Western Isles said: “Breast cancer remains the commonest cancer in Western Isles women but it’s also very treatable when caught early. I encourage every woman who is invited to attend for breast screening, to take up the offer.  We are using four central locations across the islands to make it easier for women to be screened; the appointment only takes a few minutes and the staff are welcoming and helpful.”  

This year to maximise the unit’s capacity and reduce empty screening slots, women who previously did not attend their appointment will receive a letter asking them to call the screening centre to make their appointment. Please look out for the letter and take up this opportunity to be screened. 

Attending your breast screening appointment is important for your health. It involves having X-ray images taken of your breasts (mammograms). If you are due to attend for the first time or are worried about what might happen in the appointment, we recommend you have a look at the Health Scotland video, in which actress Elaine C. Smith has her breast screening appointment. The video is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOplwRPhq1o. 

The breast screening mobile unit will be in locations across the Western Isles from August 2023, so look out for it and for your appointment. 

The dates for screening in each location are: 

Barra (Castlebay): Week beginning 21^st August 2023 (0141 800 8800)

Uist (Balivanich): Week beginning 21^st August 2023 

Harris (Tarbert): Week beginning 25th September 2023 

Lewis (Stornoway): Week beginning 9^th October 2023 

Letters will be sent out 4 weeks before your appointment date. If the day is not suitable or you have not received your appointment, please contact:

• 01463 705416 for Barra 
• 01463 705416 for Lewis, Harris and Uist

If you do not want the appointment, please let us know so it can be allocated to someone else. 

The breast screening invite will also be sent to non-binary people who were assigned female at birth (AFAB) and haven't had breast removal surgery, trans women who are taking hormones and trans men who haven't had breast removal surgery.

ENDS 

Notes to Editors: 

1. In Scotland, all women aged 50-70 years are eligible for breast screening and receive individual invitation letters.  Women over the age of 70 can asked to be screened. Women of any age who have concerns at any time should speak to their GP or practice nurse.  
2. Women are invited every 3 years to attend. 
3. Breast screening aims to find breast cancers early. It uses an X-ray test called a mammogram that can spot cancers when they are too small to see or feel. 
4. As a rule, the earlier a cancer is found, the better the outcome. 
5. Breast screening is offered to: non-binary people who were assigned female at birth (AFAB) and haven't had breast removal surgery, trans women who are taking hormones and trans men who haven't had breast removal surgery.  

​