Morrisons breast screening

@AnotherWeasel been to one, liked that it was easy to park, waited inside, seen promptly, far less faff. Nobody gives two hoots. Initially I was a bit ‘what if someone I know sees me’ but then realised I didn’t care.

I think they are trying to reach as many people as possible and have found that women are more likely to turn up if they park for free and do some shopping at the same time. Fewer turn up when called to a hospital. It is a shame you don't like it but I suppose they are trying to satisfy the majority as no solution will please everyone.

I had this at Morrisons this week. I can understand how you feel as you do have to wait outside sometimes due to the smallness of the van. I also didn't particularly like the tiny cubicle you have to wait in while waiting half dressed. However I do think this is probably a lot worse for the healthcare professionals having to do this in this space. Also parking is cheap and you can get your shopping at the same time. no expensive hospital parking costs.

I really do think if men had to have this they wouldn't do it in a car park.

I couldn't agree with you more.

Is it unreasonable of me to feel so offended by the idea of breast screening in Morrisons car park?

Yes, extremely.

@AnotherWeasel There are a couple of things to unpick here. You need to disassociate your previous trauma from what could be life saving screening and preventative treatment and try and get some help with that.

As PP have pointed out hospital parking is often difficult to find and expensive.
Our local hospital has a screening unit in a shopping mall in the middle of my local town where there is plenty of parking (free if you park in Morrisons). It is a godsend - no wondering how and where you are going to park.

You don't get "consulted" about breast screening, neither do you get "consulted" about smear tests or vaccinations, and you need to get over that kind of self-entitlement.

And again I do think we are generally treated like objects

I disagree. The staff at our local breast screening unit are brilliant and treat everyone with respect.

Your comments about privacy are ridiculous. Breast screening is private it isn't a public spectacle, regardless of whether it is a mobile unit or a hospital. I'm a private person, but the matter of fact way health staff treat procedures like this helps. It is only a few minutes of your time.

You need to get over your embarrassment about the idea of breast screening or own that you just don't want to do it instead of making up silly excuses of where it takes place.

My local Tesco sometimes has a blood donation mobile unit in the car park. Is that wrong too?

In what way aren't they ideal? I fundamentally disagree and say that they are ideal. They're massively more accessible for most people, than a hospital. They're on most people's doorstep, offer free parking, and they're incredibly organised and time efficient.

Having a mammogram at my local hospital would entail 1 hour 20 minutes return journey, goodness knows how long cruising the car park looking for a space, a £6 parking charge, and almost certainly sitting in a waiting room for ages, waiting for my slot.

My mammograms have been in a truck at the leisure centre about three minutes drive away (or a walk, so much more accessible for those who don't drive) where I've parked for free and been in and out in ten minutes.

It's also much easier for those who work, as they can get an appointment at a wider variety of times, and call in before they set off to work, or when they get home. No separate journey required in (often) the opposite direction from work.

There's nothing about the environment in inside the truck that's sub optimal. We should all be glad that in making the test more accessible for everyone, many more lives are saved.

I worked in a dental practice within a Sainsbury's for years, sometimes had to go look for the patients amongst the bedding/pyjamas lol I enjoyed the doss

Exactly. On a recent trip to the Thackray Medical Museum, I was interested to read about the Glasgow TB screening program in 1957.

https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_1123093_en.html

Plus mobile X-ray sets weren't new even then. Marie Curie famously developed mobile X-ray vans to radiograph injured soldiers on the battlefield in WW1 so over 100 years ago.

One of my friends doesn't drive, if she had to go to the main hospital for screening, it would mean two buses, a ferry crossing and then faffing around at the hospital to get to wherever the screening is, then waiting around for the bus to repeat the journey back home.

For people like her, it is a huge bonus to get the appointment and either walk to the supermarket/health centre for it or just one bus will get her there.

I've never, ever heard any woman complaining about attending the mobile units being in supermarket car parks (or any car parks for that matter), we all just get on with having the scans done and crossing our fingers that we don't get a recall because they have found something sinister.

Get a grip and stop moaning. This appointment could save your life! Mobile units are tge future .... no exorbitant car parking fees, driving round endlessly to get a parking space ... much better in my book.

NHS has been using mobile medical units to bring services to people pretty much since its inception - the first being mobile vaccination units, and possibly the best known being blood donation vans and pop ups. Screening services have been using them for decades, and it's a testimony to the improving kit that more can be transported and used in this way.

It's not a temporary solution, it's a deliberate way of making preventative services more accessible.

It's free at the point of use which, when you need it, is what matters.

I had my first mammogram in local hospital for some reason whilst most friends had them in the van in a car park. 2nd was in Tesco carpark and 3rd in van in hospital carpark.

They were all similar experiences apart from the hospital was a pain as had to leave ages was was quite a distance relatively and parking is tricky.

How weird. Why would you be offended with that? It could save your life

You're not getting your tits out at the tills.
Our one parks at Asda.
Makes it accessible for many women.
Count yourself lucky.

But otherwise be bloody glad (as I am) that this procedure is being treated exactly as it should be in the first instance...like a trip to the shops!

Love this. That's a great way to get people on board. "Screening is as simple as a trip to ....."

Maybe you should pitch that to them. We all know random screening is the preventative medicine there is.

I'm also glad you're doing well.

I'm coming up to the age where I'll have mammograms.

My local BS mobile unit parks up in the leisure centre car park where my son swim trains 9 times a week.

It only ever occurred to me I could probably time this apt well rather than that all the other parents and swimmers will see me enter!

Although it's a common theme between all us mums that we've often wondered if we could just get a group screening booking one evening (or 5am!) and have coffee cake and a scan!

I am a victim of SA so I get that. But I'm also the DD of 2 parents who have had cancer and one died young of it.

It isn't 'hundreds of pounds a month in NI'
Get a grip. Look at your payslip and tell the truth

There is one at Junction 32 shopping village, I don't see the problem? Lots of women go to supermarkets, I think it's easily accessible having it done in a supermarket car park. Get your shopping done then whilst you're there grab a check, sounds great to me.

I'm not sure what's so embarrassing about going for a breast screening?

The walls of the screening unit are not made of glass.
Attitudes such as this dismiss the efforts of NHS staff to bring services to the community in a timely manner. There isn't the capacity in hospitals to deal with the numbers
Screening and vaccinations are the sucess stories of medicine and disease prevention, yet abused by people who either think they know better, or don't like where services are delivered. Then they wonder 'why me' when they get a preventable disease or one that could have neen caught early through sceening
Would you feel happier if the van was in a Waitrose car park?

I’m involved in screening programs and trials for cancers that predominantly affect men. We have screening vans in sports venue car parks.

Stop being so tight and pay for a private screening then 😂

Op, your arrogance at not getting your monies worth from the NHS is breathtaking. All I can say is lucky you at not needing to!