Dr John Cormack recently wrote to NHS England (re: Whatever happened to the Mobile Breast Screening Unit ) and this is the Q&A below:
QUESTIONS: The mobile breast screening unit which used to regularly visit the town hasn’t been seen for some considerable time and I have been told that it has now been cancelled. Is this correct? If so, given that an undertaking was given that all existing services would be retained when the healthcare facilities in SWF were ‘reorganised’, what plans are there to resurrect the service and what is the timescale for this?”
DECISION: NHS England holds some of this information. The Chelmsford and Colchester Breast Screening Service has been trying to find an appropriate site in South Woodham Ferrers for the mobile breast screening unit. So far, the team has not been able to find a site which both meets their requirements and which they have permission to use. The mobile unit is 12.1 metres long and takes up about 5 parking spaces, and a further 2 parking spaces are needed for staff. The Service would have to install electrical and water connections for the mobile unit. The Service would need to be able to stay in place for about 3 months every 3 years. Because of the lack of a suitable site, this year, they have had to invite women to be screened either at Broomfield Hospital or at the mobile unit at the Chelmsford Sports and Athletics Centre. Breast screening is commissioned by NHS England and would not have been part of a reorganisation of healthcare facilities in South Woodham Ferrers. The site that was used 3 years ago is no longer suitable. The Service has continued to look for a suitable site in South Woodham Ferrers, but there are no timescales at present for when one might be found. Essex ICB has flagged their concerns about this situation to NHS England and the issue remains under active review. Further information would be held by Essex ICB, whom you would need to request this from directly.
We have also had 2 readers letters on the subject. To recap:
Hi Wendy
In a recent issue of Our Town, Dr Cormack wrote about the loss of the mobile breast screening unit from the town centre, which has resulted in a number of women being unable to access potentially life saving screening. Having been invited to attend a breast screening appointment myself at Broomfield hospital recently, I found that the round trip from my home to the hospital by bus (recommended by the hospital due to difficulties in parking) would take 5 hours.
I rang the screening department and asked if there was a closer location I could attend because of the difficulties in attending Broomfield by bus, and was offered Witham or Colchester! The practitioner advised that another option, which some women had taken because of transport problems, would be to defer the appointment until an alternative site for the mobile unit was found in SWF, but she was not hopeful of this happening as talks had already been ongoing for 3 years. When I expressed concern that women were being denied potentially life saving screening because of inadequate provision in SWF, she suggested that it would help them to do what they had been trained to do if I added my voice to the people who are already campaigning to get the breast screening unit returned to South Woodham Ferrers. – Anon
and…..
Hi Wendy,
I was pleased to see that Dr. John Cormack has highlighted the disappearance of our breast screening unit.
I clearly remember the town meeting where the proposal to move all GP services to the new CVMC was discussed. Promises were made that we would have better access to services without having to travel so far.
I drive for the local Community Care Scheme, I have spoken to a number of ladies who have received appointments for the screening unit in North Melbourne, Chelmsford.
The ladies had no idea where North Melbourne is and were disappointed to discover that you cannot get there easily on public transport from SWF.- Anon
Resident Christina Booth wrote to SWF Sainsbury’s and got the following reply:
Dear Christina,
Thank you for your email. I am responding on behalf of Simon Roberts.
Sainsbury’s is committed to making a positive difference in our local communities and, as you can imagine, we receive a high volume of requests each day.
Please note that support of this nature is at store discretion. As you have already spoken with the Sainsbury’s South Woodham Ferrers store, we are unfortunately unable to provide any further support with your request.
I am sorry not to be able to share more positive news on this occasion.
Kind regards,
Katie Powell | Executive Office, J Sainsbury plc 33 Charterhouse Street London EC1M 6HA katie.powell@sainsburys.co.uk
Since then Dr Cormack has received another reply to his ‘Freedom of Information’ requests.
Freedom of Information Request 11797
OUR RESPONSE: There have been ongoing difficulties in securing a site in South Woodham Ferrers for a while.
We have engaged with estates, QA, the ICB and the Town Council to identify a suitable site, but no site has yet been confirmed. Discussion has taken place with local supermarkets, who have been unable to support provision of a site and with two GP practices who were unable to help.
Further discussions are planned with the Town Council and GP practises to explore potential options for a suitable site either within or near a GP surgery.
In the meantime, screening for South Woodham Ferrers women is being provided in Chelmsford 10 miles away.
We are now not due to be in South Woodham Ferrers for another 3 years, so hopefully will be able to find a solution before our next visit.
FOI Team, East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust. FOI@esneft.nhs.uk
Dr Cormack is writing back to both to raise the following points:
“You say: “The Chelmsford and Colchester Breast Screening Service has been trying to find an appropriate site in South Woodham Ferrers for the mobile breast screening unit” for the past 3 years. With respect, it doesn’t seem to have been trying very hard.
The residents were given an assurance that ALL the facilities that were provided in the town centre would transfer to the new premises on the periphery of the town – no matter who or what commissioned them. Moreover the GPs (me included) repeatedly emphasised the importance of providing a suitable bay as part of the new CVMC premises. Travel to the distant locations you describe is NOT a satisfactory solution.
It is obviously totally unacceptable to deny SWF this service for a further 3 years. It seems that the residents of SWF are being penalised for the inadequacy of those making the decisions and holding the purse strings.
You say: “The site that was used 3 years ago is no longer suitable.” It’s no longer suitable because it was sold off for a pittance to the private sector – without a public consultation and in contravention of the wishes of the residents as expressed in a survey that preceded the sale. It has left a large proportion of the elderly population who moved to properties within easy walking distance of what was the central ‘health hub’ (including the town centre Health Clinic) finding it much more difficult to access primary healthcare than hitherto.
To blunder into a situation like this emphasises the fact that the whole process was not well thought through either by the NHS decision makers or those involved in the planning process.”
Given that you don’t appear to have got a grip on the situation here are two videos: a rough and ready video made while the unit was in the Health Clinic car park (skip the advert) shows the size of the unit and the connections needed and a recent video showing possible sites for the Mobile Breast Screening Unit (including the Fire Station where there is a precedent for provision of health services)”
It’s important that the town gets behind this project. So have your say and send us your thoughts to: