Don’t Let it Be You – a new breast screening campaign
We are working in partnership with West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance on a new breast screening campaign called Don’t Let it Be You.
The campaign’s launch during breast cancer awareness month, encourages all those invited for their 3 yearly breast screening to make sure they book an appointment and attend.
All women, registered with a GP, will receive their first breast screening invitation letter between the ages of 50 and 53 and then will be invited every three years up until the age of 71. This is because the risk of getting breast cancer increases with age. If you are 71 and over, and have stopped receiving screening invitations, you may be eligible for an appointment to have breast screening. Contact Pennine Breast Services on 01274 365521.
If you think you may have an increased risk of breast cancer due to family history, talk to your GP.
If you are transgender talk to your GP about Well Person checks as you may not get an automatic invite for appropriate screening when your gender marker has been changed on your NHS record.
Councillor Beverley Addy, Kirklees Council’s cabinet member for Adult Social Care and Health said:
“I am so proud to be able to support the ‘Don’t Let it Be You’ breast screening campaign to help raise awareness of the importance of attending cancer screening when invited so that early signs of cancer can be found, and lives can be saved. Please do make an appointment as soon as you receive your letter and remember to attend your appointment”.
Hayley Snowden – Health Inequalities Lead for the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance said:
“It’s great to be working alongside Kirklees Council on this campaign to improve awareness of the importance of attending a breast screening appointment when you are invited. There’s no doubt that cancer screening saves lives but sadly, data shows that only 60% of those invited in Kirklees go on to attend. If anyone is unsure about going through with breast screening, we ask you to contact Pennine Breast Services and share your concerns. By talking more about this vital screening programme and any barriers people are experiencing, we can ensure everyone who stands to benefit from screening gets the opportunity to do so.”
All the cancer screening programmes running in Kirklees are by invite only including the breast screening programme, so keep a look out for your invite letter. Don’t Let it Be You who misses your breast screening opportunity.
For more information visit our breast screening webpage.