Build to Beat
Breast Cancer Appeal
Why the Appeal is Needed
We have teamed up with Prevent Breast Cancer to raise the remaining £1.8m needed to build a national training academy for breast cancer professionals and to help save lives.
The ‘Build To Beat Breast Cancer’ appeal is raising funds for a new National Breast Imaging Academy (NBIA) training facility – an extension of the Nightingale Centre at our Wythenshawe Hospital site – to provide training for a generation of breast imaging experts, helping thousands more women in the region get their mammograms.
Here in our appeal video, our medical experts and breast cancer patients explain why this centre is so vital.
The Need
Breast Cancer in the UK
- Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in our country today
- 153 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every single day
- Breast cancer rates in women have increased by 24% in the past 30 years (and predicted to rise further)
- Each year more than 11,000 women die from breast cancer
But these statistics become even more bleak when you consider the future of UK breast services is under threat. The current breast imaging workforce has a significant shortfall, which will soon have ramifications for the future of mammography services if we don’t take action.
The pandemic has also caused a backlog in mammogram appointments. This, combined with the closing of breast clinics elsewhere in the region due to staff shortages, has heaped on pressure.
Put simply – without investment in more staff, the future of mammography in the region is unclear.
The Solution
Build to Beat Breast Cancer
This is where you can help.
Our Build to Beat Breast Cancer Appeal needs to raise the remaining £1.8m needed to build a state-of-the-art centre where breast clinicians of the future will be trained. These future workers, trained by the National Breast Imaging Academy, will be the key to unlocking:
- shorter waiting times
- improved outcomes
- increased survival rates.
Hear from Professor Cliona Kirwan on the Academy’s impact.
Our artist’s impressions of the new
National Breast Imaging Academy centre
More people will survive breast cancer with your help.
The centre will be built as an extension of the current Nightingale Centre at our Wythenshawe Hospital site. This hospital is one of 10 NHS hospitals Manchester Foundation Trust Charity supports, making our organisation one of the best-placed to take this appeal forward.
The Nightingale Centre is also one of the leading breast services units in the country and many breast cancer patients already attend the centre for their diagnosis, treatment and aftercare. The Centre has also seen an increase in patients who travel from further afield, having seen their local services close due to a shortage of imaging staff. This is why The Nightingale Centre is the ideal location for the new training academy – it is already at the heart of where lifesaving and life-changing work takes place.
The key benefits of the training are that it will allow up to 13,000 additional women to be seen each year for their mammogram and follow-up appointments; new breast imaging specialists will have a dedicated space for training and the essential space will also have cuting-edge facilities.
Hear from survivor Candy Ekanoye on her breast cancer story and what the future could look like.
Sally Dynevor
Among those already lending support to the fundraising pledge is Prevent Breast Cancer patron, breast cancer survivor, and Coronation Street actress Sally Dynevor She said: “My cancer was caught because of the skill and care of breast radiologists. I know first-hand the difference that early detection can make and to think that women in the future might have to wait for mammograms or breast screenings because of staff shortages is terrifying.
“I wholeheartedly support Prevent Breast Cancer and the Manchester Foundation Trust Charity with this appeal, which will not only make Manchester a national centre for breast imaging training but will have a very real impact on the lives of women in the area.”
Dr Mary Wilson
Dr Mary Wilson, consultant breast radiologist at MFT and programme lead for the NBIA, said: “Breast cancer diagnosis and treatment relies on the expertise of breast imaging specialists. These men and women are often the first to spot a potential problem or even a cancer in its early stages, before any symptoms such as breast lumps are evident.
“Early detection is key for increasing a woman’s chances of survival; not only does it reduce the risk that the cancer has spread, but it also means that treatment can often be less aggressive and much less disruptive to people’s lives.
“Without this Academy, we are looking at a future without enough trained specialists to meet demands for mammograms. Patients could experience delays in their breast screens which could result in later diagnoses, which could be detrimental to their ongoing treatment.”
Kathy Cowell OBE DL
Kathy Cowell OBE DL, chairman of MFT said: “The NBIA is a vital part of our plans to protect the future of breast screening in the UK. While it will be located here in Manchester, it will train specialists from all over the country, helping to protect the lives of women all over Great Britain.”
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