The official opening of Jersey’s new breast screening unit took place yesterday as part of a project which will see all eligible islanders automatically invited to the checks from 2027.
The new unit at the Enid Quenault Health and Wellbeing Centre has been up and running since last year, but yesterday saw the official opening take place.
Around 3,000 islanders have so far been screened in the new unit.
The health centre, which is based at the former Les Quennevais school site, opened in August 2023 and is named after former St Brelade Constable Enid Quenault.
Her daughter Anne Pryke, who is a former Health Minister and the current Chair of Jersey Cancer Relief, opened the new breast screening unit yesterday.
Mrs Pryke said: “It is an honour to officially open the new breast screening unit at the Enid Quenault Health and Wellbeing Centre.
“This state-of-the-art facility represents a significant step forward in the early detection of breast cancer, and we are proud to support such a vital service for women in Jersey.”
She added: “The dedication of the screening team is truly inspiring, and everyone at Jersey Cancer Relief is proud to be helping make a lasting impact through this project, but we wouldn’t be able to support important projects of this nature without the generosity of our donors.”
Since the new unit opened, enhancements have been made to both the equipment and service.
The new £255,000 mammography machine was paid for by the John Clive Le Seelleur Trust, whilst £530,000 of funding from Jersey Cancer Relief has paid for a full-time administrator, a mammographer, and the training of an associate practitioner in mammography.
This all forms part of a project to ensure all eligible islanders are automatically called up for breast screening by the end of 2027.
Screenings programme manager Sue De George gave a speech at the opening yesterday, and shared her thanks to sponsors and the impact of their funding.
“I’d like to sincerely thank Jersey Cancer Relief for the vital support in providing staffing for the unit, ensuring that we have the team that we need to deliver this service,” she said.
“This includes funding for Hayley Hill, who is our new Associate Practitioner in training which is really allowing us to home grow our talent and offer excellent opportunities for progression to our staff.”
Elizabet Dos Santos, Consultant Oncologist at Jersey Hospital and Clinical Lead for Cancer Services and Screening in Jersey, highlighted the importance of early detection when diagnosing cancer.
“The only way we can impact outcomes is by diagnosing earlier because the earlier we can diagnose, the better chance we have of curing it,” she explained.
Dr Dos Santos also said that, as part of the island’s Cancer Strategy, further preventative tests and screening are being explored to help with early detection of different cancers.
“There are a lot of new tests coming online and we are looking at how we can bring that all to Jersey in the future,” she added.