Routine breast screening should be restarted within 10 days

New radiologist wants Island set-up to follow best practice 

Routine breast screening is expected to restart within 10 days.

Manx Care says the suspension of the service should be lifted by 24 February.

The health body has today confirmed the reason why no routine screening is taking place – it says it’s due to the need to update and link Island systems with a UK monitoring programme.

This is due to a request from the new consultant breast radiologist who wants the Manx system to adopt best practice recommended by the NHS National Breast Screening Programme and the Royal College of Radiologists.

Before the suspension mammograms taken on-Island were being sent to Wythenshawe Hospital where they were reviewed for abnormalities by specialist medical professionals.

The Isle of Man was not, traditionally, involved in the review and reporting process but issues, if detected, were sent back to the Manx team for further investigation.

However once revised contractual and clinical arrangements with the Greater Manchester Breast Screening Programme are in place radiologists here will be involved in the process.

This means anyone who is recalled will have had their tests reported by an on-Island radiologist and a radiologist based in the UK.

“Although the decision to suspend breast screening has been a difficult one Manx Care is of the view that the benefit that the new arrangements will afford the women who will be recalled outweighs the temporary suspension of the service.” – Manx Care

Any women who require a recall appointment based on a recent assessment will be contacted shortly to have this diarised in Manchester with all travel arranged for them. 

Around 150 women per week are screened on the Isle of Man - plans are being put in place to catch up with the programme by the end of March through additional clinics.

Earlier today Health and Social Care Minister Lawrie Hooper told the House of Keys that he’s had conservations with Manx Care over ‘clarity of messaging’.

He responded to criticism of a press release, sent out by Manx Care on Friday two weeks after the service was suspended, and the apparent 'alarm it caused':