Breast Services

Breast Screening Program Recommencing

Breast Screening Program is recommencing 20th July 2020 – Following guidance from Public Health Agency (PHA) we will be offering socially distant appointments in both our mobiles and static unit.

If you had your original appointment cancelled due to COVID19, a new appointment will be issued to you. This however may not be at the location you usually attend so please check your letter to ensure you arrive at the correct location.

Click Here for more information and advice on COVID19

Our Service

The Western Trust Breast Service provides both a screening and symptomatic service, providing specialist care for patients with breast cancer and non-cancer conditions.

The Western Trust currently has three General Consultant Surgeons with breast speciality working in Altnagelvin Hospital:

Mr Padraig Diggin

Mr Michael Harron

Mr Ron Thompson

Mr Brendan Skelly

These Surgeons provide services at the symptomatic clinics and the screening assessment clinics. Reconstructive breast surgery is also available in Altnagelvin Hospital.

There is one Full time and two Part time Breast Care Nurse Specialists and one Part time Advanced Nurse Practitioner employed by the Western Trust who can provide information, support and help to patients who have or fear they have breast cancer. They have offices in the Breast Screening Unit and also in the North West Cancer Centre at Altnagelvin Hospital.

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Breast Team is available Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. If you wish to speak with a CNS prior to your appointment please contact us on 028 7161 1187.

Breast Screening Program

The Breast Screening Service is part of the National Breast Screening Program that provides free breast screening for ladies between the ages of 50-70.

Mobile Screening Unit

The Western Trust has two mobile screening units used for the screening program to deliver the service throughout the trust catchment area.

There will be mobile units in two locations when screening recommences:

The mobile at Altnagelvin will be in the car park of the Static Breast Clinic beside the static Breast Unit.
Our second Mobile unit will now have a new location – The Car Park at Dunnes Stores, Omagh. This mobile location will no longer be at Omagh Library.

Anyone who had an appointment cancelled for our Enniskillen mobile will now be called to Omagh. We are hopeful we can use the location again in Enniskillen in 2021.

Please see our timetable for information on the order in which practices should be called for screening – set dates cannot be given as we try to recover from the screening pause due to COVID19.

Symptomatic Service

The Symptomatic Service is a one stop triple assessment out-patient clinic based in Altnagelvin. Anyone requiring this service will be referred by their GP.

Over 70s

Because of the COVID19 pandemic, we are currently unable to offer self-referral appointments for over 70s. We will initially screen those that were affected by the screening pause and have had their appointment delayed. For now – on advice from Public Health Agency (PHA) in line with guidance from Public Health England (PHE), we will only screen women in the routine Screening age group (50-70). This will be reviewed in line with guidance from the Department of Health.

If you have any concerns about unusual changes to your breasts, please speak to your GP as soon as possible. They will be able to refer you to our Fast Lane Breast Clinic for tests if necessary.

Family History Clinic

The Family History Clinics are led by the Breast Care Nurse Practitioner and supported by the Breast Clinicians.