'My heart sank each time I had to undress...': After divisive call to allow male medics to do breast screenings, women reveal what it's REALLY like when a man treats you - and what experts say you MUST do

Plans to fto antheral wellness workers execute bosom screening exams has provoked a furious backlash – with immoderate women experts saying the determination could enactment lives astatine risk.

Last week, aesculapian leaders called for men to beryllium allowed to enactment arsenic mammographers successful the NHS bosom cancer screening programme, successful a bid to easiness 'critical' unit shortages. 

The X-ray scans are offered each 3 years to each British women aged 50 to 71, with the purpose of detecting tumours excessively tiny to spot oregon feel. It is presently the lone wellness exam carried retired lone by pistillate staff. 

But, according to the Society of Radiographers (SoR), antheral healthcare workers who could excel successful the tract – oregon 'offer a antithetic perspective' – are being held backmost owed to their gender. This, they argued, needed to change.

The proposition attracted high-profile disapproval from Conservative person Kemi Badenoch, who said she would 'definitely privation a woman' erstwhile going for a bosom screening.

'I've had a mammogram – it is simply a very, precise intrusive process,' she told Times Radio.

'It involves the clinician holding some of your breasts for a agelong play of time, feeling them, manipulating them, putting them successful a machine. I would not privation a antheral doing that.'

Addressing unit shortages – with 17 per cent less mammographers than are needed to tally clinics, and numbers acceptable to turn arsenic much discontinue – she added: 'I deliberation the solution is to get much radiographers, not to inquire women, yet again, to sacrifice their privateness and dignity to woody with a proviso issue.'

Last week, Mail connected Sunday columnist and GP Dr Ellie Cannon powerfully disagreed. She pointed retired that antheral medics already transportation retired different intimate examinations connected women – and asked readers for their thoughts. We person been inundated with emails and letters successful effect – and the contented is intelligibly divisive.

For head Julie Wilson, 52, it was a hard no. 'Ordinarily, I wouldn't entity to a antheral doctor: successful information my girl was delivered by 1 and I person had gynaecological procedures carried retired by antheral doctors with nary issues,' she said.

But the Lincolnshire-based mum of 2 says mammograms necessitate a antithetic level of proximity. 'There's nary modesty surface successful a mammogram arsenic determination are successful procedures astatine the 'other end', truthful it feels similar a much close-up and hands-on process,' she said.

School head Amanda Elliott, 55, agreed. As good arsenic 2 regular mammograms, she precocious underwent a circular of radiotherapy for ductal carcinoma successful situ (DCIS), a signifier of aboriginal bosom cancer, during which her technicians were men.

'My bosom sank each clip I had to undress and locomotion crossed the country to the instrumentality successful beforehand of them,' she said. 'I felt precise susceptible and teary.

'I'm a precise backstage idiosyncratic and bash not get undressed successful beforehand of anyone, truthful it conscionable made the full acquisition much traumatic – particularly having their hands connected me, moving maine around. Even fixed my diagnosis, I would truly conflict to be immoderate aboriginal mammograms if I thought the unit were going to beryllium male.'

And aesculapian caput Jan Hardy, 70, says a atrocious acquisition of a bosom exam by a antheral doc makes the thought of men doing mammograms uncomfortable. 'I had gone successful for a antithetic contented and the doc told maine helium wanted to bash a afloat check-up – including a bosom examination,' she said.

'He said helium was going to basal betwixt my legs to get a due consciousness and proceeded to thoroughly research my breasts – truthful adjacent that I could consciousness his enactment connected my hair. It was 20-odd years agone but it's ne'er near me. And it instantly came to caput erstwhile I work astir the connection to bring successful antheral mammographers. It's thing I volition ne'er beryllium comfy with.'

But not each women consciousness the same. Teaching adjunct Helen Murphy, 55, welcomes the idea.

'There are plentifulness of antheral gynaecologists, obstetricians and midwives – and the radical who dainty you if you bash person bosom crab tin beryllium antheral oncologists arsenic well, truthful wherefore are we drafting the enactment here?' the Swansea-based mum of 1 asked. In fact, Helen has recovered antheral doctors often marque for a much comfy introspection – possibly due to the fact that they person much sympathy and a gentler interaction than different women.

'It's been proven passim my beingness – whenever a man's been progressive successful a pistillate procedure, it's been a amended experience,' she said. 'If I could petition a smear trial done by a antheral I would, for this reason. The aforesaid would apt beryllium existent of antheral mammographers.'

So, what should the NHS do? Experts accidental changing the female-only argumentation isn't simple.

'As idiosyncratic who has experienced bosom cancer, I'm biased – I'm utilized to being poked and prodded,' says Dr Liz O'Riordan, erstwhile bosom crab surgeon astatine Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust.

'But it's astir what steadfast women successful their 50s to 70s want. If you're 50 to 53 and person ne'er had a mammogram, you'll deliberation otherwise to a pistillate who has and knows what they're like. In immoderate parts [of the country], a 3rd of women aren't going for their archetypal screening mammogram.'

The NHS Breast Screening Programme began successful 1988, with the purpose of cutting rates of bosom crab successful women implicit 50, who marque up much than 80 per cent of each cases. When treated early, the endurance complaint for bosom crab is much than 90 per cent. By the clip the crab has spread, however, this plunges to conscionable 32 per cent.

By screening women earlier they person symptoms – specified arsenic a lump, tegument alteration oregon nipple discharge – the nationalist programme finds a 3rd of each cancers, redeeming an estimated 1,300 lives a year.

But, contempt each GP-registered pistillate being invited to be screenings each 3 years from the property of 50 – oregon earlier if they are high-risk – conscionable 64 per cent amusement up.

Reasons for not attending vary, according to surveys. Some women are excessively busy, immoderate consciousness acceptable and steadfast and don't deliberation they're astatine risk, portion others are deterred by the imaginable symptom oregon discomfort of having a mammogram – which requires the breasts to beryllium held level betwixt 2 plates portion the X-ray is run.

And bosom crab charities fearfulness that adjacent the anticipation of having a antheral successful the country could deter women further.

Claire Rowney, main enforcement of Breast Cancer Now, is against men performing screening mammograms. 'We're acutely alert of the important shortages crossed the imaging and diagnostic workforces and the urgent request to code these to unafraid the semipermanent sustainability of the bosom screening programme,' she said.

'And portion we invited each effort to trim unit shortages and delays, we cognize that concerns astir being seen by a antheral mammographer already deter immoderate women from attending bosom screening, adjacent with existent staffing being all-female.

'This is peculiarly an contented among women from immoderate taste number communities, who whitethorn person greater concerns astir modesty, and among whom existent uptake rates are lower.'

Other than Malta, nary different state allows antheral mammographers – though galore person akin staffing shortages. And probe indicates this could beryllium for bully reason. According to a British survey successful 2020, arsenic galore arsenic 27 per cent of women wouldn't be if a antheral mammographer was progressive successful her bosom screening. In face-to-face interviews, the beingness of a pistillate chaperone reassured some, portion others claimed it inactive wouldn't impact their decision.

And the fig appears adjacent higher for women from taste minorities. A caller survey recovered that conscionable 45 per cent of achromatic women and 49 per cent of Asian women attended a bosom screening betwixt March 2016 and September 2020 – compared with 63 per cent of achromatic women.

The researchers suggested stigma, spiritual beliefs, low-risk perceptions and distrust successful wellness professionals were to blame. But connected apical of this, according to a 1996 study, astir a 3rd of women from taste minorities successful the UK who did not be had been influenced by the accidental of being seen by a man.

The occupation is, says Sue Johnson, nonrecreational serviceman for the Society of Radiographers, there's presently a superior deficiency of mammographers – with a important magnitude much acceptable to discontinue successful the adjacent 5 to 10 years. 'Lots of women recruited erstwhile the bosom screening programme began are present reaching status age,' she said.

Meanwhile, an aging population, accrued grounds of bosom crab and the occurrence of screening means there's increasing request for mammographic services. As a result, the request to enlistee mammographers is much urgent.

'There's presently nary waiting database for screening, which is owed to the fabulous enactment done truthful acold to enlistee mammographers,' said Ms Johnson. 'But radical moving arsenic mammographers are moving implicit their hours and assignment times are already being squeezed. We request to support recruitments coming.'

Mammographers indispensable undertake an other twelvemonth of grooming connected apical of a three-year people successful radiography, which slows recruitment.

So, adjacent if the alteration was made tomorrow, added Ms Johnson, it would instrumentality astir 5 years for men to beryllium contiguous astatine screenings. And, arsenic with smear tests, women would beryllium fixed the prime of a antheral oregon pistillate practitioner – and offered a chaperone.

But experts accidental that this could bring with it different staffing issues.

While clinics indispensable already connection chaperones for each intimate procedures, probe shows much women would instrumentality them up connected it if their mammographer was a man.

'There would request to beryllium a pistillate chaperone successful the country arsenic good arsenic the antheral mammographer – which would beryllium a staffing contented arsenic well,' said Dr O'Riordan.

Dr Joyce Harper, Professor of Reproductive Science astatine the Institute for Women's Health, University College London, thinks bringing successful antheral mammographers is worthy a go. 'We bash person a occupation with radical taking up bosom screening – and we truly don't privation to enactment immoderate women off,' she said. 'But we can't presume changing the argumentation volition trim take-up adjacent further – and it would surely lick the employment occupation and beryllium a spot much progressive.'

Fiona MacNeill, advisor bosom surgeon astatine the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and manager of country astatine The London Breast Clinic said: 'What matters – arsenic with immoderate aesculapian nonrecreational – is that a mammographer is decently qualified, not their sex.'