Breast cancer sufferers put in danger due to a major shortage of NHS staff who can deliver specialist scans, radiographers warn By Shaun Wooller, Health Editor Published: 01:14 BST, 15 August 2024 | Updated: 01:28 BST, 15 August 2024 e-mail View comments Breast cancer sufferers are being put in danger because of a major shortage of NHS staff who can deliver specialist scans. The Society of Radiographers said the lack of mammographers is leading to late diagnoses and treatment delays, which can reduce survival chances. All women in England aged 50 to 71 are invited for breast screening every three years but they can also be referred for scans if cancer is suspected.
These are carried out using imaging equipment. But the operators' professional group said the mammography workforce in the NHS in England has reached 'critical levels'. Vacancy rates among screening mammographers stand at 17.
5 per cent while among symptomatic mammographers – who scan women who find a lump in their breast or those who have a family history of breast cancer – the vacancy rate is 19.8 per cent. Breast cancer sufferers are being put in danger because of a major shortage of NHS staff who can deliver specialist scans, The Society of Radiographers said Dean Rogers, from the Society of Radiographers, said: 'Our members work incredibly hard in order to provide a comprehensive service despite staff shortages.
'But there's no way that a department with 20 per cent – or higher – vacancies can do the wo.