MP Freddie van Mierlo calls for breast screening service to be reinstated in Henley

FREDDIE van Mierlo is calling on health chiefs to reinstate a mobile breast screening service in Henley.

The Henley MP has written to Steve McManus, the chief executive of the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust to find a new site in the town.

This comes after the Henley Standard revealed two weeks ago that residents are having to travel to Reading due to “parking issues” at Townlands Memorial Hospital.

Mr van Mierlo said moving care closer to the community was a goal stated in the government’s 10-year plan for the NHS.

He said: “I want residents of Henley to get easy access to breast cancer screening.

“I recognise that there are issues with parking at Townlands but the point of a mobile screening unit is that it is mobile and can be put where it is convenient for residents.

“I really hope that a solution can be found and that residents of Henley don’t have to travel to Reading for scanning.”

The mobile screening van, which is deployed by the West Berkshire Screening Service, had previously used the car park in York Road to see patients.

The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust has said that “ongoing traffic and parking issues” outside Townlands has created difficulties to use the screening van. It said that while the unit had been relocated at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, it was trying to identify a new suitable site in Henley.

Mr van Mierlo said it would ultimately be “more costly” to the NHS if moving the service away from Henley resulted in a lower uptake of screening appointments.

He said: “There shouldn’t be any barriers in place for people to come forward for screening.

“Early detection is by far the best defence against cancer and ultimately its costlier for the NHS if cancers are detected late.

“People live busy lives, something like this is fairly easy to put off and anything that can bring diagnosis and treatment closer to where people live is going to improve the uptake of these services.”

Shilpa McQuillan, director and clinical lead at the Berkshire Menopause Clinic in West Lane, Henley, said many women already face challenges in accessing screening appointments. She said: “For a lot of women, attendance already is quite scanty and that is because women are working and trying to find time in their busy day to even get to an appointment.

“Some women here have had awful experiences before because it can be quite tender for some, and there is also just that scare of what might be found.

“If women are already on the fence because of those things, then when they’re already busy, trying to get to that appointment might be quite difficult if it is far away.”

Dr McQuillan is a fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and sits on an expert committee for improving gynaecology across the UK.

She said one of the goals of its 10-year plan for women’s health in England, which was published last year, was to improve community access and neighbourhood hubs, including bringing screening services closer to home.

Dr McQuillan said when services are moved out of communities it places a barrier to access for women who don’t drive, have access to transport, or have time in their day to travel.

She said: “We are still offering screening for women up to the age of 70 and so if you are not driving for whatever reason then you’re not going to be able to attend that appointment.

“The other thing is, there is no parking at Royal Berkshire Hospital so the other thing to keep in mind is the location that it’s relocated to — does that even have parking and access for people coming from further afield who will be having to drive?

“We need to ensure our community-based services be available for everybody to access, so it’s not a postcode lottery of access, or it’s only those who can afford cars or have the ability of time in their day to do that.”

Women between the ages of 50 and 71, who are registered with a GP, are invited for the mammogram procedure to check for early signs of cancer that are too small to see or feel.

The service is also used by women who have a family history of breast cancer and people who have found a lump who are invited for screening.

The NHS estimates that regular screening saves 1,300 lives in the UK each year.

Dr McQuillan said: “The mammogram screening programme is so important because not only are we picking up if there are any breast cancer changes, its picking up changes that are even prior to that, so that’s why it’s so important that women attend.

“What we are picking up is any shadowing, any calcification that could indicate potential for future breast cancer.”

Town clerk Sheridan Jacklin-Edward said Henley Town Council was working with the NHS to find a solution for the service.