Breast care

Breast care team

The team is highly trained to provide emotional and psychological care. We support patients with benign breast disease, breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, and those with a family history of these conditions.

Further information

The majority of our patients are direct referrals by their GPs. This happens when the GP or patient has noticed a new symptom or change within the breast.

The appointment often consists of clinical breast examination and consultation by a breast clinician, followed by one or more of the following:

Mammogram
Ultrasound scan
Core biopsy
Fine needle aspiration

If the breast imagery highlighted any irregularities, then a biopsy will be performed.

If we are unable to perform your mammogram or ultrasound on the same day one will be arranged usually within 7 – 10 days of your appointment.

Having a breast examination, breast images undertaken and biopsy is a triple breast assessment and may be necessary to make a definite diagnosis.

Our service locations:

North Tyneside General Hospital
Wansbeck General Hospital
Hexham General Hospital
Alnwick Community Hospital
Morpeth NHS Centre
Blyth Community Hospital

We care for patients across a broad spectrum of conditions.

The breast care nurses provide psychological support for patients diagnosed with breast cancer. They are a link between patients and consultants in surgery and oncology.

They meet our breast cancer patients at diagnosis and support them through their treatment. They can also review patients who have had breast cancer treatment, patients with family history and patients with benign breast problems.

We provide a wide range of services including:

Nurse-led low risk diagnostic/follow up clinics
Nurse-led patient initiated stratified follow up clinics
Oncology advice/support
Lymphoedema
Seroma drainage/wound care
Reconstruction advice
Prosthesis service
Health promotion
Secondary breast cancer advice/support

The breast care nurses attend the weekly multi-disciplinary team meeting and contribute to discussions regarding patients.

They also help to plann and deliver education locally and nationally. This is to help promote evidence based holistic care and regularly monitor services they provide. This can be done by compiling regular local patient questionnaires and taking part in the national cancer patient survey.

Our team works closely with other support services including: