An extra mobile breast screening unit has been drafted in to ease the waiting list caused by Covid.
Breast screening was paused at the height of the pandemic, meaning there is a backlog of women aged 50-70 due their potentially life-saving check.
The North East Breast Mobile Breast Screening Service has decided that instead of waiting until the mobile unit is scheduled to go to Banchory next spring, women can attend the additional unit in Aberdeen.
This means that women registered at the Banchory Group Practice and Torphins Medical Group will be invited to get checked out from October 6.
Sarah Philip, manager for the breast screening service, said: “Due to the pause of breast screening as a result of Covid-19, we will have an additional mobile unit for three months to help with the backlog.
“This year, rather than wait until the mobile unit is scheduled to go to Banchory in spring 2022, we are reducing the wait by inviting ladies in these practices to the additional mobile unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary from October to December.”
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Risk increases with age
The extra unit will be in the car park outside the rotunda entrance of the hospital.
Letters will be sent out four weeks before the appointment.
Mrs Philip added: “The aim of the programme is to detect breast changes at an early stage when treatment has the best chance of being successful.
“We hope that women invited for the first time will take advantage of their invitation for mammography and for women who have been screened previously, it is important to attend to ensure that there have been no changes over the past three years.
“The risk of developing breast cancer increases as you get older, so if any woman missed or failed to attend their previous invitation, it is still important to come along for screening this time.”