To think that having a mammogram carried out by a man is preferable to a long wait for an appointment.

[JudithOnHolidayAgain]

I know many people who wouldn't be here now without early detection of breast cancer due to the screening programme.
I have had a few myself.
It's not something I look forward to but it's a few minutes of discomfort that could save my life so I put up with it.
Given the choice I would prefer a woman carry it out as it is quite intrusive but as there is a shortage of female staff I would be ok with a male member of staff as long as there was a chaperone and Iwas told in advance.
If they do change the rules I think there should be a choice.

You an train all these female staff who would be chaperones to actually perform the mammogram

You can’t!

Many don’t have qualifications beyond GCSEs - it is not a criticism of them, it is the case that they do not need qualifications to do that role.
Most people that have A-levels and degrees will not be working chaperones unless they are there as part of their placement as student radiographers, nurses etc.

It is not the case you can round up the female porters, HCAs, cleaners, catering staff in hospital and train them up to be mammographers. They need GCSEs, A-levels, a specific 3 year degree and post graduate training. And they need to want to do the role.

I’ve had at least 25 mammograms and I don’t mind who is doing the manoeuvring.

It is a massive waste of resources. To provide a chaperone to all the vans and units to just stand and watch. People assisting on ultrasound rooms, clinical rooms and surgeries are normally employed to do other things in addition to chaperoning. And the main reason for diagnostic delays is the shortage of radiologists.

I get it, but who are these 'more women' who we are going to train?

We as a country have decided we don't like immigration, and we don't want to properly fund the NHS so people get decent salaries. We want to be an insular little country who pay low taxes and not fund the public sector.

So where are all these lovely women coming from? Do you fancy training?

You DO get a choice, you CAN request a woman, you DON'T have to have your breasts touched by a man. No one is saying otherwise.

But the reality is that some people (who are happy to) will need to be seen by male radiologists, in order to keep waiting lists under control, prevent late diagnosis, and therefore avoidable deaths!

I really hate mammograms, having large dense breasts that are very firmly attached to me. Its always a struggle for both me and the radiographer, and her empathy and kindness is very important. I would want a woman.

I can see the point about vacancies, but I think this is a systemic issue around pay, conditions and retention, and you would be robbing Peter to pay Paul, just moving your radiographers around. It would not solve the problem. The NHS is short of qualified staff in every area.

If we did have enough radiographers and a choice was available, then ok, but it must be clear and upfront. People don't always think about how this would affect religious and the elderly too. A close relative lied about a serious condition rather than let a male doctor touch her in a private place, and it killed her.

The evidence around breast screening is a bit murky, there being a lot of false positives, so if there was no choice I would probably just opt out.

I came away from my first mammogram distraught at how painful, undignified it was, and how little I was informed about this (though comms are better these days). Similarly with hysteroscopy, and intravaginal ultrasound etc, which were both unpleasant, undignified and painful. I think women's pain, dignity and discomfort is minimised, especially if its not all women affected in the same way. ( 'Well it doesn't hurt ME')

What I will suggest is that if any of the screening tests for male cancers were as painful and invasive there would be a an alternative such as a blood test by now. Like the PSA.

What is actually needed more money in the NHS overall (not more reorganisations), and more research into women's health.

I would be open to consider a man in an emergency, but not if he was under the delusion that he was a woman.

I don't have that answer. All I know is my own preference, as a patient.

Oh yes you can. Do you actually work in this field? You can train to be an assistant practitioner who can perform mammograms under the supervision of a radiographer. They can’t do more complex patients but they can do mammograms. They don’t need a degree. Now I know how lawyers feel when they see comments on legal questions when the posters obviously haven’t a clue!

One issue is chaperoning. That’s two people in the breast screen room, instead of one. You don’t need to be a radiographer to do breast screening, Band 4s can be trained up and have been. You should need a 1 year examined diploma. Problem largely solved.

Just have a choice.

Are you actually experienced with mammogram training? The last time I was in having one somebody was being trained and it seemed very complex. Everything was double checked with those doing the training leaving the room and coming back and forth to check all the positioning and quality of the photo.

Yes, I do actually!
And it is not just a matter of training women up.

The number of women turning up for mammograms has already fallen since covid. This will make it fall further. I will be one of them.
If I was diagnosed with cancer I would put up with a male Dr. But I will not for a routine screening.

Yes, I am a clinical mammography trainer. @Fordian has it correct here.

I want the best qualified doing mine as the priority, sex of Practioner being less important, mistakes costs lives as has been highlighted recently in the news. I do not want lesser qualified staff doing it or longer waits because some women feel the need to gate keep provision.

That is you, not me and many others.

@Fr33asaB1rd APs do simple, straightforward mammograms. Registered radiographers do more complex patients and procedures as well as all the decision making in addition to the straightforward patients.

I didn't even know this was a thing. Whe I was referred by a GP for breast exam last year (clear thankfully) I had an examination by a male consultant and a woman did the mammogram. I had no issue with either but the exam by the male consultant was more intrusve as he had to manually examine my breast, whereas the mammogram was more remote (she sat operating the machine giving me instructions on where to place my breasts.

I was offered a female chaperone for both proceedures

(NB this was private not NHS).

It has escaped your notice that we are not being asked about surgeons, oncologists and so on, but specifically mammograms.

It's fine for men to be in these roles but there needs to be a choice. Women are socialised from a very young age, mid primary school at the very latest, to understand that their breasts are sexualised and to be concealed from view in a way that men's breasts are not, so it's not unreasonable for women to then feel uncomfortable with a man having to see, touch and adjust her breasts for a mammogram. Would it be stupid to die on that hill? Of course. But the choice isn't to die or not, it's to have a screening to check for a cancer they very often have no reason to believe they have or will ever develop. It's so easy to find excuses to put these things off. We don't need anything that will tip the balance against attending screenings.

I genuinely can't see that attitude saving many lives.

I had a male gynaecologist so I would fine with it to be honest but 100% the patients should be given a choice.

Is this really as far as your thinking has gone? That if a woman does not want a man to do a mammogram, it has to be because he might be thinking something sexual?

Chaperoning would not want make a difference to my decision not to have a mammogram from a male radiologist.
To be honest the radiologists have to handle and manipulate my breasts so much anyway, that a chaperone would not be able to tell the difference between what is necessary, and a sexual assault.

Having a chaperone won’t save you from being assaulted. A chaperone is not there to protect you.