On 16th June 2010 Dr Pixie McKenna opened 4 new BreastHealth UK clinics in collaboration with London based General Medical. The London based clinics will be nurse-led, meaning that ladies want to stay at the forefront of their breast health can see nurses at the BreastHealth UK clinics.

London’s women now have access to state-of-the-art breast screening technology for the first time

16.06.2010: BreastHealth UK, the UK’s leading private breast cancer screening service, announced the openings of four new London based clinics that will operate from General Medical centres in Baker Street, Fleet Street, Tower Hill and Finsbury Circus, which will offer new types of breast cancer screening to women of all ages. The new clinics, which were officially opened by TV doctor and General Medical Clinics GP, Dr. Pixie McKenna, will provide women with greater access to experienced consultants and convenient, well-equipped and expertly-staffed facilities for breast care.

Pixie McKenna, (pictured here at the Baker Street clinic) said of the BreastHealth UK service: “This is the most comprehensive breast screening service available in the UK and the fact that it’s available without a GP referral is a real bonus. Often women don’t like to bother their GP with their breast health concerns, particularly if they are not showing symptoms. But there are plenty of women out there who are worried about their breast health, particularly those with a family history of the disease. BreastHealth UK clinics can give women fast access to qualified breast nurses and breast surgeons as well as to the very latest breast screening technology that is not available on the NHS such as the Digital Infrared Breast Scan.

“Women visiting a BreastHealth UK clinic are also taught how to self examine their breasts – to ensure women are not just cancer aware but breast aware. Some women feel awkward or embarrassed about asking their GP for a breast examination as they feel it’s assumed that they should already know how to do it themselves. Lots of women don’t self examine because they think it’s an older women’s disease and others don’t because they just don’t know what to look for – feedback I hear from female patients all the time.

Learning how to self examine helps women to understand what their breast should feel like and how to spot potential abnormalities – it’s a vital skill that really empowers women to look after their own breast health in the future. The cost is affordable too – I know women who would spend more on having their highlights done – so when you put it into perspective, it’s really good value for money.”

The new BreastHealth UK clinics will offer access to a personalised breast screening programme that may include clinical breast examination, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), genetic testing and other screening technologies.

Jerry Appleyard, CEO of General Medical Clinics PLC said: “We are absolutely delighted to be offering our female customers access to BreastHealth UK’s services through all four of our central London clinics. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women under 35, and most new cases arise in women with no family history of the disease. It’s wonderful to be able to give all women the choice to be able access to high quality breast screening services that are currently not available either through the NHS or anywhere else in the private sector. It really is great news for women in London who are concerned about their breast health.”

Troels Jordansen, BreastHealth UK Director comments: “These are our first London based clinics and there are more to come. We now have a very strong network of 17 BreastHealth UK clinics across the UK, so now the service is more accessible than ever before and we expect to nearly double this number by the end of 2010.

“Early detection can save lives. In Sweden, routine breast screening starts at 40 and this was introduced ten years before the UK programme*. It has been shown to almost halve the number of women who might otherwise die from the disease and offers a good case for offering screening to younger women if they have a higher personal risk, perhaps due to family history.

“To help women make these decisions we can offer the Breast Health Risk Assessment which combines genetic screening with lifestyle, medical and family history, to give a personalised risk score which can be used to inform a tailored programme of screening.”