Care and support

Breast screening for women with learning disabilities

The Breast Screening Service offers every woman between the ages of 50 and 70 years a mammogram every three years.

All women are advised to have this test, as it can help to find any changes happening within the breasts.

The nurses working with women with learning disabilities know that for some women having a mammogram can be a difficult and confusing process.

Sometimes it may be difficult for the woman to understand what she is being asked to do, and carers have often struggled to support the client.

The nurses who carry out the mammograms have made suggestions. A project was set up with some women with learning disabilities in Hoddesdon to improve the service they receive when they are asked to have a mammogram.

The project was reviewed in 2005 and proved to be an effective way to support women attending a breast screening assessment.

We are now looking at how the benefits of the project can be experienced by other women with learning disabilities in Hertfordshire who are having a mammogram.

We have developed some ‘Guidelines For Carers’ to help carers who are unsure what may be involved in having a mammogram, when they are asked to support a woman with learning disabilities.

To read the guidelines, and see how you can get support from a social worker please click on the links below...