WATCH: thousands sign petition to keep open NI breast clinics
Women urge health chiefs to keep assessment services earmarked for closure
Last updated 29th Apr 2019
Thousands of women across Northern Ireland have signed a petition to keep breast assessment services open at Craigavon and Belfast City Hospitals.
It was launched a week ago after concerns at new proposals by the Department of Health.
Under transformation plans, two breast cancer assessment clinics will be axed- Craigavon and Belfast City.
The Department has proposed moving those services to Altnagelvin, Ulster and Antrim Hospitals in a bid to streamline services and launched a public consultation.
Officials stressed breast screening services will remain unchanged and proposals only relate to reshaping breast assessment.
The Department said the new plans will reduce waiting times for patients.
However, it has angered women in Northern Ireland at having to travel further for care.
Newry woman Donna Kearns (pictured) used the Craigavon service:
"I'm quite lucky in respect of I've got a car, I can drive but my fear with these new proposals is for people who live on the fringes of our trust.
"The likes of people living in Kilkeel in Crossmaglen how are they going to get to services if thy are shipped further north?"
Nearly 5,000 breast cancer patients were seen in Craigavon in 2018.
Joanna Harris from the charity Knitted Knockers launched the petition:
"Craigavon area Hospital alone deal with over 5000 patients a year for assessment," she said.
"Belfast City would be over that amount and then there are those people who end up having to be treated.
"So we're calling on people to sign our petition, fill in the health consultation document and write their own views."
A statement on the Department of Health's website said the proposals were "the result of several years’ work by the Breast Assessment Project Board."
And it added: "There was broad agreement that one, two or three breast assessment service locations would meet the needs of the population, and would provide greater service sustainability.
"The decision on the number of sites to be recommended was subject to further discussion at the Project Board and took account, in particular, of the population needs and likely longer term sustainability associated with four or a three services model.
"Given the vulnerabilities in the current model particularly in relation to staffing, the Project Board considered that a move from five services to four would not secure sustainable services in the medium to long term.
"Demand for breast assessment is increasing and is predicted to continue to do so. Given the pressures on the Belfast City Hospital site currently, it was considered that the Ulster Hospital would have greater capacity to take on the additional activity which would be associated with consolidation of assessment services on fewer sites.
"The Department recognises that the successful implementation of the proposed service change would require a carefully managed, phased process. It is proposed that the new Breast Assessment Network would have responsibility for overseeing the phased implementation of the final recommendations, taking into account any impact on wider breast services.
"At this stage the proposals relate purely to the provision of breast assessment. The Department will shortly commence a further review, to be clinically led, that will consider wider breast services."
You can see a link to the petition here