Statement from the Society of Radiographers re Mammograms

[Mollyollydolly]

The Society of Radiographers have issued the following statement after the news story this week.
Women are already self excluding because of the coverage, women will probably die.
They have fucked up massively.
I have no words for the damage they've done.
I'd really love to know which individual proposed it in the name of diversity and inclusion.
So angry about it.
And to all the women on here who were posting they didn't care who did it, this is the result. Women self excluding.

"Recent media coverage about the role of men in mammography has caused concern for people and we want to provide reassurance and set the record straight.
The coverage followed a motion passed at the Society of Radiographers’ Annual Delegates Conference (ADC). ADC provides members with the opportunity to help shape the strategic direction of the Society. Each region and country propose motions for debate, which are voted on by delegates at the conference.
The motion in question asked the Society to explore how we could support fair access to mammography as a career, as mammography in breast screening is currently restricted to female staff.
It does not change NHS policy, and it does not mean that only male mammographers will be employed.
We understand that this coverage has led to distress and confusion, with some contacting screening services or cancelling appointments, concerned that they will be having a man perform their mammogram. We are deeply sorry for the concern this has caused and are working to provide clear and accurate information.
No changes have been made to who carries out breast screening by this motion. The breast screening experience remains:

• A specialist called a mammographer will take breast screening mammograms.
• The mammographer will be female.
• They will explain what will happen at each stage, and you can ask any questions you may have.
• Radiographers and mammographers in NHS services continue to ensure that patient care is delivered safely, sensitively, and with respect for personal, cultural, and religious needs.

Breast screening is a vital part of early cancer detection and saves lives every year. We recognise how important it is that women feel safe, respected and informed when accessing these services. Protecting trust in the screening programme is essential, and we are working with our NHS colleagues to support this. The motion passed at ADC will now go to the Society’s UK Council to decide whether any further work should be done. If it is taken forward, this will involve detailed discussions with NHS bodies, patient groups and service providers. While the Society can advocate for change on behalf of members, it does not have the authority to change NHS policy. Our intention is to support a professional, inclusive workforce while always protecting the rights and dignity of patients. Mammography screening services will continue to prioritise compassionate, people-centred care. Further updates will be shared when appropriate." https://www.sor.org/news/mammography/public-statement-mammography

Sorry about the weird formatting, wasn't intentional.

I’m unclear as to what this means - this seems to suggest that there still an intention to allow males to train as mammographers and then pass the buck to the NHS to decide whether they employ men to do this role?

Not sure it's been shelved, but my take is there's little prospect of it being NHS policy and that they're aware they dropped a massive bollock as people are already cancelling appointments and ringing up worried it might be a man. Stupidity doesn't begin to cover it.

If women are already cancelling screening appointments because of this motion hitting the media then the Society of Radiographers should withdraw the motion. They have their answer. There are women for whom a male mammographer is not acceptable and the suggestion that they might encounter one is enough to deter women from taking up screening. Find another way to provide career enrichment and development for male radiologists. This isn’t it.

“Mammography screening services will continue to prioritise compassionate, people-centred care.”

Who are these ‘people’ they are centring?

Once again this reads a little like women go fuck yourselves.

i really really don't know why they just don't let you choose:

a) I'm ok with whoever does it, as long as they're qualified (poss shorter wait)
b) I want a female technician, as long as they're qualified (poss longer wait)

Its not good enough. I've always been assured that only women will perform the mammogram, and that if any men are on staff they will be in the office, and are not permitted to enter the room.

This is male rights activism, its interfering with women's healthcare and it has to stop.
If women aren't able to train or do the shifts for some reason, such as childcare or caring responsibilities then they should fix that problem. I'm pretty sure there's a clause in the Equality Act about that.

Why is it stupid? AIUI they proposed to address a staff shortage and they were completely matter of fact in their language

https://www.sor.org/news/mammography/allow-male-health-workers-to-perform-breast-examin

did the papers turn it into something else?

They don't let you chose because if it's a women's service run by women for women, women are less likely to self exclude. The statement says they are already self excluding in the last few days because of this motion.

it does not mean that only male mammographers will be employed.

That's not very reassuring. Are they saying they still employ some women but if you're unlucky you'll get a bloke?

''Indirect discrimination happens when an organisation has a particular policy or way of working that applies in the same way to both sexes but which puts you at a disadvantage because of your sex.''
https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/equality/equality-act-2010/your-rights-under-equality-act-2010/sex-discrimination#circumstances-when-being-treated-differently-due-to-sex-is-lawful

Aye, good spot. Why say "people-centred" when they ought to say "patient-centred"?

Why the hell should women have to run the risk of a longer wait for something as important as a mammogram to accommodate the wishes of men? Fuck that.

These were posted on TwiX. I said it there and I’ll say it here: The “breast imaging community”? WTAF??

It’s not a “community” you colossal bunch of perverts, it’s people doing their fucking job. It’s certainly not a club for those who want identities validated or their fetishes indulged, or who simply want access to vulnerable women.

Or just women?!

Reading the detail, they seem to be regretting that they didn't keep this quieter for longer. They don't seem to be sorry about not finding out what patients think before passing the proposal.

Why is it stupid? AIUI they proposed to address a staff shortage and they were completely matter of fact in their language

No. The motion was about providing equity of career development for men rather than addressing a shortage.

In other words men's careers were to be prioritised over female privacy and dignity.

I'm a bit suspicious about the so-called shortage of mammographers - I read a post on mn saying there was no shortage of trained people, but not many vacancies being advertised.

thank you

Why the fuck would a man want to train as a mammographer?

Why are most gynaecologists men?!

Nope, women must not be discriminated against, especially when it comes to cancer screening due to them being unable to have a man carry out their screening. No mans want to be a mammographer should come before the lives of women. Our bodies are not a tool for inclusion, and no woman should be told that she will have to wait longer for life saving screening or accept a man.
I honestly can't believe that you actually think that this is a reasonable suggestion instead of telling men no

Jesus, we already had a thread on this. The NHS now refuses to even try to honour requests for female practitioners, claiming that they can't tell you whether a given colleague in a mixed-sex provider service is male or female without potentially outing them as trans, and thus will only let you ask for a practitioner of a given gender, not of a given sex. The mammography service is the only NHS service immune (so far) to this gaslighting crap because they use the Equality Act single-sex exemptions at hiring time to ensure female-only staff so that patients don't need to ask the question. Make the mammography staff mixed-sex, and patients will run into the same "can't risk outing trans colleagues" trap when requesting a female mammographer that they currently do when asking for a female nurse to carry out a smear test.

I'm not making this shit up. When Clare Dimyon wrote to her hospital to ask for guaranteed female HCPs for an intimate procedure (that might actually have been in-hospital breast screening), her letter was included without her consent in DEI training materials as an example of "transphobia" to be flagged to management.

You aren't wrong, but... "patient-centred" makes it clear which women are centred.

Male radiographers can specialise into MR, CT, Nuclear Med, Ultrasound, Reporting, Fluoroscopy, Angiography, DEXA.. there’s plenty of opportunities. I honestly highly doubt that many would choose the mammography route tbh.