Appeal launched for £3m centre of excellence to train breast cancer professionals

An appeal has been launched today to build a new national training academy for breast cancer professionals and help save lives.

The centre, based at Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester, will play a key role in training specialist breast imaging staff across the country including mammographers, radiographers and clinicians.

Health Education England, which has helped develop the National Breast Imaging Academy, has already committed £6 million to establish and deliver training.

This funding has enabled Manchester Foundation Trust Charity and Prevent Breast Cancer to concentrate on raising £3.2million for a bespoke building to host the academy’s training programmes.

Demand for breast imaging currently outstrips supply and research shows that since the start of the pandemic, 1.5 million fewer breast screening appointments have been carried out.

Dr Mary Wilson, consultant breast radiologist and lead for the National Breast Imaging Academy, said: “Even before the coronavirus crisis, many breast services were struggling to diagnose and treat people as quickly as we would want, and the pressure on breast imaging was a big part of this.

“Unless we act now and create a building in which to train staff, we will be unable to meet the increased demands over the coming months and years, and more lives will be lost to this disease.”

As well as offering extensive training facilities, the new centre will enable an extra 13,000 patients be seen each year and offer additional capacity for research into breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. 

The picture shows part of the plans for the building.

For more information about the academy and the appeal visit https://nationalbreastimagingacademy.org/