You have been invited back to the breast assessment clinic because we need more detail about an area we have seen on your mammogram (breast x-rays). Therefore, you need a more detailed examination before we can decide on a result.

This additional appointment is part of routine screening and for most women invited back nothing of concern will be found.

Our assessment clinics are held at Bristol Breast Care Centre, Southmead Hospital, Bristol, BS10 5NB.

Can I speak to someone for more information before I come?

How many women are invited back?

What will happen at the clinic?

When will I get the results?

How long will I be at the clinic?

If you are between 50 and 70 years old you will receive an appointment once every 3 years, inviting you to have a breast screening mammogram. You do not have to contact us to make an appointment, we will ensure that you receive your invitation at the appropriate time.

The screening programme also offers women over 70 a free breast screen every 3 years. Women over 70 will not be sent an invitation but are encouraged to call the unit on 0117 414 7070 to make an appointment that suits them.

If it has been over three years since your last breast screening appointment then please contact us.

Please note: screening is strictly by appointment only.

We have a range of different locations where you can be screened and a range of appointment dates and times. We try to invite you to a screening clinic that is convenient for most women in your GP practice but we appreciate that this may not always suit you.

When you receive your invitation letter you will see that we have already allocated you a specific screening location, appointment date and time. If you find this appointment inconvenient then please contact us so we can arrange an alternative location, date or time.

Screening takes place at our static unit in Bristol City Centre or at one of the mobile units. The mobile units move around the area staying at each site for a few months. You will normally be invited to a location within the area of your GP’s surgery.
If you have difficulty in climbing up steps and have been invited to a mobile unit, please contact the Screening Office on 0117 4147070 and they will rearrange an appointment for you at one of the static units.

When we Screen

Screening is organised according to your GP practice. Once every 3 years your GP practice will be contacted and all women eligible for screening will be invited.

For women aged 50 – 70, you do not have to contact us to make an appointment; we will ensure that you receive your invitation at the appropriate time.

For women over 70, you will not be sent an invitation but are encouraged to call the unit to make an appointment that suits you. Screening should take place every 3 years.

Can I arrange my appointment nearer my place of work?

Can I change the date and time of my appointment?

I don’t want to be screened, what do I do?

I have been invited to have a mammogram, but I have had a mammogram within the last year, do I still need to come?

I have been screened elsewhere shall I still keep my screening appointment?

I have moved house what happens to my screening appointment?

I missed my appointment how do I get another one?

Why have I been sent to a different site this time?

All women between 50 and 70 years who are registered with a GP are eligible for screening. A list is compiled from GP records, so it is important to make sure your details are correct.

You will be contacted by letter with information about your appointment, so there is no need to phone and make your own appointment. All women will receive their first invitation for a mammogram sometime between their 50th and 53rd birthdays.

We invite doctor’s practices for screening in turn, so women will not necessarily get their invitation in the year that they turn 50. As long as you are registered with a GP, you will receive an invitation before your 53rd birthday.

Women over 70

I am 50 why have I not received my appointment?

I am under 50 can I have an appointment?

What should I do between breast screens?

Why is my screening invitation not exactly 3 years since my last appointment?

I am 70 can I have an appointment?

GMC Number: 2835989

Specialty: Cellular Pathology

GMC Number: 6122609

Year of first qualification: 2005, University of Manchester (MB ChB honours & distinction)

Specialty: Anaesthetics 

Clinical interests: Regional anaesthesia, advanced vascular access, anaesthesia for robotic urology, vascular, orthopaedics/plastics

Secretary: Jean Moon

Telephone number: 0117 414 2641

Dr Tim Howes is a Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists.

He is a member of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, of the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and of the Society of Anaesthetists of the South West Region.

GMC Number: 6025160

Year of first qualification: 2000, University of Medicine Carol Davila, Bucharest, Romania

Specialty: Anaesthetics

Clinical interests: Anaesthesia for vascular and general surgery, obstetrics, pre-operative assessment and perioperative medicine.

Secretary: Helen Pearce

Telephone: 0117 414 5114

Patients are normally referred mainly from secondary care, particularly gynaecologists and urologists.

The majority of referrals are from Bristol and the surrounding area but are also received from the rest of the South West and beyond.

GMC Number: 6049496

Year of first qualification: 2002, Edinburgh

Specialty: Dermatology

Clinical interests: Dermatological surgery including Mohs micrographic surgery, skin cancer including basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) & malignant melanoma. Isotretinoin therapy for acne.

Secretary: Carole Wathan

Telephone number: 0117 4147621

If you would like to view independent feedback visit www.iwantgreatcare.org/doctors/dr-adam-bray If you would like to leave your own feedback visit http://iwgc.net/egjpe

Living Well Events

Usually run by one of the Clinical Nurse Specialists this Living Well Event is a half day of informative talks related to Breast Cancer and ‘moving-on’ – it is an important and necessary part of the support that we offer and covers topics such as diet, exercise, emotional wellbeing,  managing side effects of disease and its treatment, reducing risk factors, recovery and rehabilitation and general health and well-being.

The event provides an opportunity for you to meet with others who are at a similar stage in their treatment pathway and ask any questions you may have. 

Living Well Courses

Usually offered at the end of your treatment, these courses are run by the Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Nurse Specialist and are aimed to help you put the knowledge you have into practice and build your confidence in living with and beyond cancer with support and advice from the experts.

The course runs over a 6 week programme (one half-day each week) and can help with working out strategies to help you feel more confident with the next steps in your recovery, help to work out your own individual plans and priorities for resuming activities and dealing with any after-effects of treatment, gaining information on managing your cancer and sharing with others who have been through similar experiences.

Some of the topics open to discussion include, signs and symptoms of recurrence, dealing with emotions/feelings, communication skills, goal-setting, education in self-management, sign-posting sources of help, improving physical capabilities.

Your Clinical Nurse Specialis also has access to referring you on to Nutrition Clinics and Exercise Clinics, that may be available to you.