We often get asked questions about our BreastCheck mobile units and why they move from one area to another – is it a permanent move; will it come back to the area; where will women in the area now go for their breast screening?
BreastCheck is for women aged 50 to 69 who have no symptoms of breast cancer. We aim to invite eligible women for breast screening every 2 years. We want all eligible women to have an equal and equitable opportunity to attend for breast screening.
Our BreastCheck units
We have 4 regional BreastCheck centres in Ireland – 2 in Dublin, 1 in Cork and 1 in Galway. These regional centres are responsible for the delivery of breast screening throughout the country.
We have 24 mobile BreastCheck units that move around to provide breast screening in 54 locations, so that we can provide breast screening to as many women as possible at a location close to where they live. This is an important part of improving equity and access to screening for those who may not wish, or are not able, to travel to one of our regional centres.
What women say
Most women who take part in BreastCheck have their mammogram in one of our mobile units. We ask women who have taken part in BreastCheck to tell us what they think in an online survey. 95% of women said that the BreastCheck unit was easy to get to (Q1 2024). 54% of women said they had to travel less than 10km to their appointment in a BreastCheck unit; 75% said they had to travel 20km or less; and 87% had to travel 30km or less.
How long will a mobile unit stay in an area?
A mobile unit will usually stay in an area for three months to two years. It will stay in one place until we invite eligible women in the area for screening and those who choose screening have had their appointments.
It will then move to another location where women are due to be invited for breast screening. This ensures that no mobile unit is sitting idle for periods of time. We will then invite eligible women in the new location for screening.
Women who are unable to take up the invitation of breast screening when a mobile unit is in their area, will be offered screening at the next nearest mobile unit location or most convenient alternative location. We update our breast screening locations regularly on our website.
How to contact us
There are a number of ways women can contact us to take up a previous screening invitation and we will aim to find the most suitable place, date and time for their screening.
- Freephone 1800 45 45 55
- Email info@breastcheck.ie
- BreastCheck Southern unit, Cork: 021 464 9700, email southern@breastcheck.ie
- BreastCheck Western unit, Galway: 091 580 600, email western@breastcheck.ie
- BreastCheck Eccles unit, Dublin 7: 01 882 6200, email eccles@breastcheck.ie
- BreastCheck Merrion unit, Dublin 4: 01 223 5800, email merrion@breastcheck.ie
Improving access
Improving access to our screening programmes is a central part of our strategic plan Choose Screening. Here are some of the ways we are working to make BreastCheck accessible to everyone who is eligible:
- we can provide longer or group appointments
- we can help women who have access needs - email access@breastcheck.ie
- we have breast screening information in easy-read format and plain English
- we have videos in 25 languages.
We provide breast screening for women who do not have any symptoms of breast cancer. It’s important that every woman is breast aware. This means knowing what is normal for them so that if any unusual change occurs, they will recognise it. The sooner women notice a change the better because if breast cancer is found early, treatment is more likely to be successful. Women who have symptoms or concerns about their breasts should talk to their GP for advice.