Screening Promotion Background Information
It is the aim of the National Cancer Screening Service to ensure that its services are both accessible and culturally appropriate for all eligible women in the population.
Some women do not avail of breast or cervical screening programmes for a range of reasons. Barriers for some women include poor health motivation, fear, embarrassment and mistrust of cancer treatments. It has been well documented that the social conditions in which people live and work can have a negative impact on health. Lack of income, inappropriate housing, unsafe workplaces, and lack of access to healthcare systems are some of the social determinants of health leading to inequalities’ (World Health Organisation, 2004).
In collaboration with key community partners, the screening promotion team aim to address these barriers and enable women to make an informed choice in relation to our screening services.
The following is an overview of some of the work carried out by the screening promotion team:
Contact with Women
- Provide educational sessions about breast and cervical screening to women in the format of information talks, workshops and presentations
- Information stands at shopping centres, community events and health professional seminars
Community Networks
- Assess and address local barriers to screening
- Liaise with community networks and ensure that they are informed of the purpose and organisation of the BreastCheck and CervicalCheck programmes
Groups such as:
- Partnership companies
- Rapid teams
- Community Development Projects (CDPs)
- Family Resource Centres
Education and Iinformation Materials
- Distribution of promotional materials to various groups
If you have a query in relation to the work of the screening promotion team please email screening.promotion@cancerscreening.ie