This month our Wellbeing Strategy Group focus is Breast Cancer Awareness. During October we will be sharing information and resources about Breast Cancer: signs and symptoms; reducing risk of breast cancer; screening.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease and raise funds for research and support. This week our focus is breast screening.

 Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the UK and early detection is key to successful treatment. The NHS Breast Screening Programme saves 1,300 lives every year. Breast screening can help to find breast cancers at an early stage when they are too small to see or feel.

The NHS Breast Screening Programme offers free breast screening to all women aged 50 to 71 every three years. Women are invited for screening by letter, and appointments can be booked at any local breast screening service.

There are many reasons why people in the UK should get breast screening. Here are some of the most important ones:

• Breast screening can save lives. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the UK, but it is also one of the most treatable cancers, especially when it is found early. Breast screening can help find breast cancers at an early stage, when they are most treatable. This means that women who have breast screening are more likely to survive breast cancer.
• Breast screening can help reduce the need for invasive treatments. Breast cancers that are found early are often smaller and less aggressive than breast cancers that are found later. This means that women who have breast cancer diagnosed early may be able to have less invasive treatments, such as surgery to remove the tumour or breast conservation surgery.
• Breast screening can help improve quality of life. Breast cancer treatment can be physically and emotionally challenging. However, women who have breast cancer diagnosed early are more likely to have successful treatment and a better quality of life after treatment.

You can find an NHS guide to Breast Screening here.

If you are eligible for breast screening, we encourage you to book an appointment as soon as possible. Breast screening is a simple and effective way to reduce your risk of dying from breast cancer.

It is important to remember that breast screening does not guarantee that you will never develop breast cancer. However, it is the best way to find breast cancer early, when it is most treatable and curable.

We have shared some useful resources on our UK News download page here.

We have also made a poster to display on all workplace notice boards – this shares a QR code to the download folder for these resources. You can find this poster at the end of this document and on UK News download page here