BreastCheck - the national breast screening programme, is one of 4 screening programmes run by the National Screening Service.
It’s for women aged 50 to 69 who have no symptoms of breast cancer.
Breast screening is an x-ray of your breasts, called a mammogram. It aims to find breast cancer at an early stage when it can be easier to treat.
#1. We have lots of resources to help you understand breast screening
Your invitation letter will include an information leaflet about breast screening to help you make a decision about taking part.
You might still have questions after reading the information and we have lots of resources that can help. These can be useful for people who like visual and photo communication, those with limited health literacy and those who want to understand more about screening by using stories and pictures.
- information in easy-read format
- information in plain English
- a photo story and a video story about going for your mammogram
- information about the benefits and harms of screening in easy-read and plain English formats
- a video about BreastCheck and what happens at your appointment
- accessible information resources about going for more tests, giving consent and how to check your breasts
- and there’s more information on our website: www.hse.ie/breastcheck.
#2. We have information about breast screening in multiple languages
We provide information about screening in different languages for our diverse communities.
- our videos about breast screening in Ireland are available in 24 languages
- our BreastCheck factsheets are available in 15 languages.
#3. We can help you if you need extra support and if you have access needs
Please tell us before your appointment if you need extra help or support and we will do our best to meet your needs.
You can call the number on your invitation letter, or you can email our Access Officer: access@breastcheck.ie
Our Access Officer is a point of contact for people with disabilities who may need extra help getting information and to take part in screening. We can support you and give you a longer appointment if needed.
All our breast screening units are accessible and can accommodate most types of wheelchairs. Contact the screening unit you are attending if you need more information about wheelchair access.
#4. We bring BreastCheck closer to you with our 24 mobile units
We try to provide breast screening appointments close to where you live. We have 4 screening units in Dublin, Cork and Galway, and we have 24 mobile units that move between 54 different locations across the country.
If you are eligible for BreastCheck, we’ll invite you when the mobile unit is next in your area. The mobile units stay in each location until we have invited women aged 50 to 69 in that area for a breast screen.
#5. We are here to answer your questions
If you have questions, you can contact us by:
- Freephone: 1800 45 45 55
- Email: info@breastcheck.ie
You can contact us to make sure you are on the BreastCheck register, and to update your contact details if you move address to make sure you get your invitation and results letters.
You can also use our online registration form to update your contact details.
We’re here to help. Talk to us about how we can support you to take part in BreastCheck. We want to hear from you and we will do what we can for you.