Allow Male Workers to perform mammograms and breast screening

[CrakdEgg]

OK, so the Society & College of Radiographers have their annual delegates conference, where members bring forward motions for the union to lobby on.
In the past they have passed motions to 'remove gendered language' from health communications for inclusivity - you know, 'pregnant people' and the like. They then lobby behind the scenes to the Government to follow these requests.

This year we have this motion -

Allow Male Workers to Perform Mammograms

Workforce shortages: there are 15 posts for mammographers on NHS jobs. In the UK.

But are we bothered? Do we not want males in this space, or does it not matter because we have male gynaecologists? Or will it dissuade women from attending?

I am interested to hear other people's opinions. My instincts say 'no way Jose', but I am interested in keeping males out of female spaces, so I accept my bias.

Thoughts?

Yes - I’m sorry - @RedToothBrush has put me right on this.

Who decides which women and which procedures are subject to such a requirement?

No.. completely agree - this is such an emotive subject but its fine - Sally's happy with it so we're obviously all ok with it then.

Indirect racism.

I think that ensuring there are enough people to perform these scans should be the priority, so yes, of course they should allow males to do them if that is what is needed to offer enough appointments.

I would rather have a man do it than not have it at all, or have it late, and my cancer treatment be delayed.

Everyone is allowed to request an appointment with a woman if that is their preference. That has always been the case.

People who run the NHS and run individual NHS trusts.

Who are, by a sizable majority, male.

@SirChenjins - we need more training and staff in general across the NHS for sure, but we can't force women to be radiologists nor to subsequently train in mammograms. If the quota required can only be filled up if using males then what is best? More mammograms including male where accepted by patients, or just less available? As said by a PP it can't be a single sex space overall as occasionally males (not necessarily trans) require a mammogram.
Unfortunately, it's never going to be an ideal world with the NHS and other agencies overflowing with enough women to ensure no one has to see a male ever so what's the better outcome in the circumstances for everyone? Honestly, I was due my yearly mammogram end March and I'd rather not still be waiting but some, not saying you personally at all, don't seem to recognise that as a reasonable thought or request, when everyone posting (I think) has recognised and agreed women should always be able to get female provider care whether males work in the field or not.

Well I don't want to have a longer wait because of a lack of radiographers because men aren't allowed to do mammograms, why should my outcomes be worse if I'm happy to have a male radiographer?

Dear god @AngelinaFibres that’s horrific. Yet I’m sure we will still be told repeatedly on this thread that male healthcare workers are absolutely no threat to women! I beg to differ.

And the women undergoing treatment.

Not for me thank you. I had a DCIS and had all female care which was wonderful and made the whole affair bearable. My only discomfort came with the follow up with a male consultant which was a few minutes of breast squishing (both breasts) which I found highly embarrassing!

I agree. With a smear test they’re obviously in an intimate area but they’re quite far away from you. With a breast exam they stand really close in a sort of embrace wrapping around your back to position you on the machine. Your topless obvs. I had a male breast nurse do exams and wound care after a lumpectomy and also a male surgeon feel for lumps which I was ok with. Also a male consultant on the biopsy. Also makes in the radiotherapy team where you also have to be topless which was ok… But in all cases we weren’t alone - yes that makes it clearer - I’d be fine in a hospital setting where theres lots of people around but I’d struggle with the routine mammogram which in our area is you plus the radio therapist in a portacabin st the far end of a supermarket car park. When I went I was concerned for the NHS worker being there alone as it was so isolated. So it depends on the location for me!

Two things -

1. Yours was an emergency situation, not a pre-booked appointment (like all mammograms are). What this means is that you had no real choice other than to put up with which doctor was there to help you. A very different situation to a mammogram which is pre-arranged.
2. DFOD

A man having a mammogram ( and therefore changing the single sex situation for his 15 minute appointment) makes absolutely no difference to me. A man doing a mammogram on women makes a huge difference to my situation

Perhaps they should set up male only units. That way women who don’t care can use those and women who do care can still be confident that when they turn up for their appointment they won’t be faced with a male practitioner.

Oh dear ☹️

Given that breast screening is often carried out in a portable unit, so a chaperone isn't readily available as they would be in a hospital, plus it's screening so women are more likely to be put off going that they would be if they had actually found a lump, it would seem sensible for the service to employ women only.

I am in two minds about this because many gynaecologist consultants are male.

Same with consultants who deal with breast cancer.

I had endometriosis and adenomyosis and require a hysterectomy in my 40s so I have had a lot of exams and treatment. A female nurse was always present during exams as chaperon.

But I can completely understand why some women will not want to have the exam done by a male so the patient should be able to veto a male staff member on his own when it comes to mammograms.

No from me, too.

We can't force women no.

But we could increase the pay, offer more job rolls with flexible hours that fit around child care, have more equipment to allow this as an option.

We don't because ultimately women's health care isn't regarded as worth investing in to this degree.

Women's health isn't important enough.

It means priorities and choices and concerns are different. It does matter.

Agreed.

And it's not just on a staffing side either. Medicine as a rule is inherently misogynisitc. There's just little to no interest in women's bodies. The only reason breast cancer is so well research is that with enough time (and by this I mean the longer a woman lives), 50% of women will get it.

It's a bit different with a male gynaecologist because they have a chaperone available. A breast screening unit doesn't. I suppose they could supply one, but it's a bit more of a time waster than in a hospital where a health care assistant can just pop in easily. In a portable unit she would presumably have to be there all shift doing chaperoning and nothing else.

I'm a HCP and it wouldnt bother me at all if it was a man tbh.

Well the working conditions looked pretty bad. Our routine screening unit is a portable steel cabin at the back of the supermarket car park. It’s windowless. You have interactions with the public at 15 minute intervals in quite a mechanical/process driven way. You can’t pass the time of day with colleagues because you’re on your own. You’re on your own in an isolated spot - I’d worry about safety last thing when locking up in the dark. You’ll be able to see straight away who is going to get a call back but you have to smile and not tell them. As I write this I wonder why anyone signs up for that gig…

No, we can't force women to train, but as a pp said, we can support women to come into and stay in the profession.

How would you ensure equity of service for women who didn't want a male radiologist?