Breast health awareness report

Healthwatch Bristol is there to demonstrably influence commissioning, service provision or strategic decision making and this report outlines the work we have done collaboratively with North Bristol NHS Trust, MacMillan Cancer, Cancer Research UK, Bristol Black Carers, Rethink, Nilaari and Community Access Support Services (CASS). Healthwatch Bristol will make use of their statutory powers and the information shared with them, to help to set the commissioning agenda for the future, putting local people at the heart of decision-making.

Healthwatch Bristol received an email earlier in the summer from North Bristol NHS Trust Breast Reconstruction team. The idea for running a breast health awareness event came about after Healthwatch met staff from North Bristol NHS Trust at a collaborative meeting in August this year. They told Healthwatch that black and minority ethnic women are less likely to attend their breast screening appointments and when they do get a breast cancer diagnosis it is often at an advanced stage of the disease. In partnership with the trust, Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancer Research UK, we thought this was a fantastic opportunity to use our collective expertise and community links to invite women around the city to a day of learning around breast health. The main aim of the day was to promote the importance for women to be checking their breasts regularly.

The day started with an introduction from Andrea Young, Chief Executive of North Bristol NHS Trust who spoke about the trust being able to provide end-to-end care – meaning that women will get their diagnosis and treatment under one roof, therefore removing the stress of having to go to different hospitals.

Healthwatch Bristol was pleased to note that all prosthetic breasts are offered in a diverse range of colours and available to all skin types. However, the audience said it would be good to see what breast abnormalities look like on darker skin. The breast team have said that more of their leaflets and promotional material would also be more diverse, based on advice from partners at MacMillan and Cancer Research UK, who also have leaflets and publicity which reflect the diversity of the general population. Attendees suggested other venues and community spaces where similar events could be run, to ensure as many parts of Bristol as possible are reached. Another attendee thought having a mixed group with men and women would be a good idea.