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?

I have only had mammograms from women, I’ve had vaginal ultrasounds by both sexes, but now only from women. I have a private male gynae for HRT but I have all ultrasounds, smears etc done by a female team. I far prefer a female practitioner. I travel 140 miles for my mammograms and 250 miles for any internal ultrasound, so that tells you how much I prefer having control over who I see.

Is it a professional registration requirement @MrsJoanDanvers or more like a trade union where membership is optional?

And actually, mammograms have been fine. I put off having one but actually it wasn’t too bad at all, very fast .

I don’t think it matters whether it’s a male or a female as long as you get seen too! The last time mammogram has it was a male and a female doing the mammogram and then I got an ultrasound and it was a male and a female.
In this day and age, I don’t think it matters whether you get a diagnosis of breast cancer or hopefully not!!! 💐

As several women on this thread have now explained, some women won't be seen if mammographers can be male, because they will decline their mammography.

I'm guessing there should be a comma after 'In this day and age, don't think it matters comma whether you get a diagnosis of breast cancer or hopefully not'?

The sex of radiographers matters to many women. If male radiographers are allowed to undertake mammograms, fewer women will attend. That matters.

Thank you for your posts on here, so clear and helpful.

I think we must keep up the pressure so the Society knows not to try this one on again.

@MillicentFaucet The SOR is a union/professional society for radiographers-a bit like the Royal College of Nursing. The HCPC is the body which oversees professional registrations-and to be registered with the HCPC is mandatory for radiographers and other health professionals. In addition to that, if we want to perform Screening Mammograms, we have to have the PGCert in Mammography too. Not a requirement for symptomatic but given that most symptomatic services are combined with screening now, it’s a de facto requirement for mammography in general. Assistant practitioners do a separate qualification, not as in depth.

@selffellatingouroborosofhate
My two DS died of 2nd Breast Cancer so I don’t particularly care who checks me out, that’s just my opinion 🌻

I am sorry to hear about your sisters. I am pleased to hear you are happy to have a woman screen you so the screening service would not put off women who do care who performs a mammogram and therefore may otherwise miss their mammogram and delay a potential cancer diagnosis.

@CleaningSilverCandlesticks
As I’ve said that just my opinion 🌻

@Puttinginthemiles
Who a crap about comma’s, jog on!

My two DS died of 2nd Breast Cancer so I don’t particularly care who checks me out, that’s just MY opinion 🌻

Have a lovely bank holiday weekend!

I, too, have had immediate family members die from or survive breast cancer. One of them was told by a male GP that she was too young for breast cancer and that she should stop reading women's magazines as they were putting things into her head. She waited three months before getting a second opinion because he had made her feel stupid.

Saying that it doesn't matter if the mammographer is male or female is saying that women and their hang-ups or their judgementalism is the problem. It's yet another way of laying the need for female-only spaces at the door of women being a bit fussy and prudish or nasty towards men rather than at a significant proportion of men behaving badly towards women in mixed-sex spaces, leading to those spaces becoming stressful, hostile or no-go environments for women.

@EsmaCannonball

Sorry for losses 🌻

So wait a minute so many people debating how we need male staff to get down waiting lists and better to be seen by a man than not seen at all, when that was never what this was actually about?

Of course not. It is about men and what they want.

Exactly this.

Too many women have had their tits groped by male GPs abusing their positions of trust. Women wanting female mammographers is because we know that some men can't be trusted around women.

Have not RTFT, so apologies if this has been mentioned already, but just in case it hasn’t and might be helpful to anyone, I just posted this on the newer thread about the latest statement:

Wasn’t this motion triggered by the fact they were already allowing males with a GRC to be recruited as “female” based on the confusion over how the GRA interacts with the EA for the purpose of the single-sex exemptions?

For example, this 2023 article in Radiography, the official peer-reviewed journal of the Society and College of Radiographers, written by professionals with NHS affiliations states:

However, current legislation, specifically Part 1 of Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010, allows employers to exclude certain protected characteristics (in this case, gender and gender reassignment) based on occupational requirements, permitting the restriction of mammography roles to females only. Furthermore, the Act sanctions the dismissal of existing employees if they no longer meet these requirements, such as a female transitioning to male. Thus, while transgender men and non-binary individuals are encouraged to participate in screening, they are effectively barred from working in breast screening roles based solely on their gender identification.

My interpretation of this (notably the second and third sentences) is that up until the SC ruling, the NHS and the Soc of Radiographers were classing transwomen with a GRC as legally female and transmen with a GRC as legally male, for the purposes of who could be employed as a mammographer in the NHS.

This would also explain the curious timing of this motion, i.e. while other medical orgs are coming out with statements about trans inclusion in light of the SC ruling, why else would one of the few professions restricted to female practitioners suddenly decide that their priority is letting males perform the role? Because they’re already doing it, but their sex in the eyes of the law has been confirmed by the SC as being based on biology instead of a certificate.

And Clare Dimyon's letter suddenly makes sense...

Indeed!

I’ve replied in more detail on the other thread.

This is what I suspected, and you’ve clarified it.

The first question should be - why is there a shortage? Are they training enough people? Which staff leave and why?

Only once we know the answers to this can we identify a solution.

People are assuming that male staff will sort the problem but that’s a big leap which might cause more problems than it solves.

Has anyone seen an analysis published anywhere that I can read please?

Turns out there isn’t a shortage of mammographers. The motion is just down to men wanting to do it.

My biological Mum had breast cancer in her 50s so this is a concern for me as I get older. I don't feel like I would be bothered with a man doing it but I can't say for sure as I've not experienced it. And I absolutely stand by any woman who says she would not want a man conducting her mammogram.

I mean, technically, they’re not wrong that it would resolve any staffing shortage, because it will significantly reduce demand.

Deterring patients from attending is a rather bold strategy to cut NHS waiting times, though…