Your Views Wanted: Isle of Lewis Breast Screening Bus Location

Following the last breast screening round in 2023, NHS Western Isles ran a survey for those who attended the bus asking for their feedback. There were concerns raised during the consultation with regard to difficulty parking at the Western Isles Hospital.

To address these concerns, Isabell MacInnes, Chair of the local Breast Screening Co-ordinating Group, has looked into possible alternative sites to locate the bus when it returns in 2026. The bus will be located at the site for a period of four months starting at some time between August and December 2026 (the dates have not been confirmed yet).

There have been very positive conversations with the organisations noted below and we are now giving the community the opportunity to indicate which would be the preferred site from:

• Co-op Stornoway Superstore Carpark
• UHI North, West and Hebrides Carpark
• Old Sandwick School Carpark
• Western Isles Hospital Carpark

We are inviting all users of the above spaces – not just those with breast screening appointments – to choose their preferred site, as the bus will impact the usage of these spaces during the four month screening time.

The site with the majority vote will be used in 2026. It is anticipated that the location of the bus on Harris, Uist and Barra will remain the same as previous years.

Isabell is encouraging all Isle of Lewis residents to take part in the consultation, she said: “We want to make it easier for everyone to attend their breast screening appointments, so we are exploring alternative locations for the screening bus. We are keen to hear from the community about which site they would prefer. Please take a moment to vote for the location that works best for you."

Please visit https://healthy-hebrideans.commonplace.is/ to make your choice.

The above consultations will be open until 25th July 2025.

Further topics for consultation will be released to the Commonplace platform as required. Members of the community visiting the site will be invited to share their e-mail address to stay informed of news.