Our integrated breast service combines the symptomatic breast service and West Sussex breast screening programme, supported by a multi-disciplinary team of expert medical staff. The service is led by clinical director and consultant surgeon Ms Rebecca Kampa with Mr Charles Zammit as the clinical lead.
Symptomatic breast service
All patients with symptoms referred to us by a GP should be seen within two weeks of that referral being made.
You may be seen at either Worthing or St Richard’s hospitals. We try to offer you appointments at the hospital closest to your home whenever we can, but please be aware that this may not always be possible.
All referred patients are given a clinical examination, which will tell us whether you need any further investigations. If so, you can have an x-ray (mammogram) or ultrasound on the same day and get the results back while you are still in the clinic.
We may also need to carry out a biopsy. This is a straightforward procedure that takes a small sample of tissue to be tested in a laboratory.
It usually takes less than two weeks to get the results back. You will have to come into the clinic to get them and discuss any further treatment you might need.
West Sussex breast screening programme
As well as through your GP, you may also be referred to the service from the West Sussex breast screening programme.
The programme is based at Worthing Hospital but offers routine screening in mobile units at 12 locations across the county.
All women aged between 50 and 70 are invited for screening every three years.
Approximately one in 10 women are recalled for further investigation after their routine screen. There are many reasons for this and the majority of those recalled do not have cancer.
If you are recalled you will be invited to come in to the Worthing Breast Centre for more investigations – normally further mammograms and an ultrasound or biopsy if necessary.
Multi-disciplinary team
If you have a biopsy, the results will go to our multi-disciplinary clinical team, who will review them and decide the best next steps to take.
The team includes surgeons, nurses, radiologists, mammographers and oncologists so we can draw on the widest possible range of expertise when agreeing which treatment pathway to take.
The multi-disciplinary team is led by Mr Mustafa Al-Sheikh at St Richard’s and Mr Ross Kenny at Worthing.