Manchester will be at the heart of plans to build a National Breast Imaging Academy, which will train 50 staff a year in breast imaging skills amidst a workforce shortage.
Breast cancer affects over 55,000 individuals annually in the UK and nearly 12,000 lives are lost.
Around two in five breast imaging radiographers and breast clinicians in the UK are due to retire by 2025 and almost 15 per cent of breast radiologist and radiographic posts are vacant nationally.
One way of tackling the skills gap is the National Breast Imaging Academy (NBIA), which will be built at Wythenshawe Hospital, which is part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT).
The build costs will be £3.9m, with £912,000 still to be raised. In a bid to raise the shortfall an exclusive members’ network called ‘The 100 Club’ is being launched with all the proceeds going towards the Academy.
The 100 Club is aimed at like-minded people to come together and raise the final £912,000 needed to build this life-saving Academy to provide more screenings, more staff, and more research.
The 100 Club has one agenda – to change the future of breast cancer. By pledging £10,000 or more, donors can help raise the remaining £912,000 needed to build the National Breast Imaging Academy.
‘I was too busy to get cancer – but diagnosis nearly came too late’
The 100 Club members get a series of exclusive benefits including recognition on the ‘wall of thanks’ and digital screens planned for the new building.
The NBIA will be an extension to the hospital’s existing Nightingale Centre, which is where thousands of women in the North West go for their mammograms and other breast care services. Building work is hoped to start in the autumn.
The building will allow up to 13,000 additional women to be seen each year for their mammograms and follow-up appointments, while also offering a dedicated space for the training of new breast imaging specialists.
Prevent Breast Cancer, the UK’s only charity dedicated to the prediction and prevention of breast cancer, and MFT’s Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, joined forces to fundraise to finish the plans.
The appeal is being backed by BusinessCloud. Executive executive editor Chris Maguire said: “Like so many people my life has been touched by cancer and I feel so helpless and angry at the misery it causes.
“That’s why BusinessCloud is supporting efforts to raise the remaining £912k needed for the National Breast Imaging Academy.
“If your business wants to make a positive difference then join the 100 Club. By pledging £10,000 or more you could help save a life.”
For further information contact Jessica Ruth