Breast screening skill mix pilot sites announced

Published 27th September, 2000

The four skill mix development sites announced in the NHS Cancer Plan are:

• Bolton, Bury and Rochdale Breast Screening Unit

• Norfolk and Norwich Breast Screening Unit

• Southern Derbyshire Breast Screening Unit

• Warwickshire, Solihull and Coventry Breast Screening Unit

By the closing date for applications, August 31st 2000, the programme had received 17 bids which were sifted for breast screening criteria, and for educational component. The selection panel included representatives of the breast screening programme, the Department of Health, the College of Radiographers, the Royal College of Radiologists and the National Training Organisation.

Julietta Patnick, National Coordinator of the NHS Breast Screening Programme said,

"All the bids were of a very high quality which made the decision difficult. The selection process was greatly enhanced by the knowledge and experience of the different professional organisations on the panel. We are all looking forward to a successful pilot."

Over the next 20 years, it is expected that there will be a 25% increase in the number of women aged between 50 and 64 as the baby-boom generation grows up. Plans to extend the breast screening programme to women aged 65 - 70 are projected to increase throughput by 40% straight away. The skill mix pilots sites have been set up to address the issue of increasing activity, while maintaining quality and staffing levels.

Notes for editors:

1. As outlined in The NHS Plan, published in July this year, the NHS breast screening programme, which currently covers women aged 50-64, will be extended to women aged 65-70.

2. Expanding the programme will require a 40% increase in skilled staff. For this reason, new skill mix arrangements, including a new grade of assistant practitioner, will be piloted and extended quickly thereafter. Some 400,000 more women will be screened each year when the programme is fully implemented.

3. The aims of the alternative skill mix are to develop the role of the radiographer and to increase the capacity of radiologists. A four-tier structure is envisaged to replace the current two-tier one:

   • Lead practitioner

   • Advanced practitioner

   • State registered practitioner

   • Assistant practitioner