Collection

Breast screening: professional guidance

Standards and guidance for health professionals, managers and commissioners working in the NHS breast screening programme.

Published 1 June 2015
Last updated 12 August 2020 — see all updates

• From: Public Health England

Breast screening: commissioning and testing of X-ray systems is published by Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine

Guidance on the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 is available for employers and health professionals who carry out medical radiological procedures.

Consolidated programme standards

1. Breast screening programme: standards
   • 26 July 2019
   • Guidance

Programme guidelines

Programme standards and guidance for breast pathology can be found on the Royal College of Pathologists website

1. Breast screening: guidance on overseas recruitment
   • 10 July 2020
   • Guidance
2. Breast screening: failsafe batches
   • 25 February 2019
   • Guidance
3. Breast screening: quality assurance guidelines for surgeons
   • 1 March 2009
   • Guidance
4. Breast screening: clinical guidelines for screening assessment
   • 15 November 2016
   • Guidance
5. Breast screening: quality assurance standards in radiology
   • 1 March 2011
   • Guidance
6. Breast screening: guidance for breast screening mammographers
   • 11 December 2017
   • Guidance
7. Breast screening: interval cancers
   • 29 July 2020
   • Guidance
8. Breast screening: programme specific operating model
   • 9 August 2017
   • Guidance
9. Breast screening: leading a service
   • 1 November 2018
   • Guidance
10. Breast screening: guidance for clinical nurse specialists
    • 16 December 2019
    • Guidance

Good practice in breast screening

1. Breast screening: issuing provisional or verbal pathology reports
   • 17 July 2020
   • Guidance
2. Breast screening: arbitration guidance
   • 31 August 2016
   • Guidance
3. Breast screening: copying letters about clients
   • 1 July 2005
   • Guidance
4. Breast screening: screen detected ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
   • 1 July 2008
   • Guidance
5. Breast screening: set and maintain round length
   • 24 October 2019
   • Guidance
6. Breast screening: managing B5 core malignant biopsies
   • 1 November 2007
   • Guidance
7. Breast screening: processing and issuing results
   • 1 May 2003
   • Guidance
8. Breast screening: ergonomics in screening mammography
   • 22 October 2018
   • Guidance
9. Breast screening: how to record vacuum-assisted excisions
   • 4 October 2018
   • Guidance
10. Breast screening: imaging women with breast implants
    • 12 April 2017
    • Guidance
11. Breast screening: interval cancers and duty of candour toolkit
    • 26 March 2018
    • Guidance
12. Breast screening: manage mammograms and records
    • 13 December 2018
    • Guidance
13. Breast screening: repeat mammograms
    • 11 December 2017
    • Guidance
14. Breast screening: women wanting to attend service out of area
    • 19 December 2017
    • Guidance
15. Breast screening programme: supporting women with learning disabilities
    • 21 November 2018
    • Guidance
16. Breast screening: transferring specimens between laboratories
    • 21 June 2019
    • Guidance
17. Breast screening: Right Results audit
    • 11 September 2019
    • Guidance
18. Breast screening: digital breast tomosynthesis
    • 10 July 2020
    • Guidance

Screening higher risk women

1. Breast screening: higher risk women who are pregnant or lactating
   • 1 May 2012
   • Guidance
2. Breast screening: higher risk women surveillance protocols
   • 4 October 2019
   • Guidance
3. Breast screening: surveillance screening of higher risk women
   • 27 March 2019
   • Guidance
4. Breast screening: using MRI with higher risk women
   • 1 December 2012
   • Guidance

Consenting and withdrawing from the programme

1. Opting out of breast screening
   • 1 July 2020
   • Guidance

Research and reviews

1. Breast screening: radiation risk with digital mammography
   • 23 October 2017
   • Research and analysis

Quality control and testing

1. Breast screening: routine quality control tests for breast tomosynthesis
   • 30 December 2015
   • Guidance
2. Breast screening: routine tomosynthesis quality control
   • 1 August 2014
   • Guidance
3. Breast screening: acquisition and testing of ultrasound scanners
   • 30 April 2011
   • Guidance
4. Breast screening: calculate image quality parameters
   • 1 April 2009
   • Guidance
5. Breast screening: digital mammography testing and commissioning
   • 30 April 2009
   • Guidance
6. Breast screening: routine quality control tests for FFDM
   • 1 October 2013
   • Guidance

General equipment guidance

1. Breast screening: guidance notes and protocol for equipment evaluation
   • 1 September 2014
   • Guidance
2. Breast screening: status of approved equipment
   • 12 August 2020
   • Guidance

Screening equipment and medical physics services

1. Breast screening: tomosynthesis position statement
   • 10 May 2016
   • Correspondence
2. Breast screening: electrical supply in mobile trailers
   • 1 July 2012
   • Guidance
3. Breast screening: mobile screening unit specification
   • 1 October 2009
   • Guidance
4. Breast screening: mammography unit ergonomic assessment
   • 1 October 2007
   • Guidance
5. Breast screening: quality assurance for medical physics services
   • 25 September 2019
   • Guidance

Equipment technical evaluations

1. Breast screening: Hologic 3Dimensions in tomosynthesis mode
   • 12 August 2020
   • Guidance
2. Breast screening: Hologic 3Dimensions in 2D mode
   • 9 December 2019
   • Guidance
3. Breast screening: IMS Giotto Class digital mammography system in 2D mode
   • 8 July 2019
   • Guidance
4. Technical evaluation of Hologic Affirm prone biopsy system
   • 25 March 2019
   • Guidance
5. Breast screening: Hologic 3Dimensions DBT system
   • 25 March 2019
   • Guidance
6. Siemens Revelation digital mammography system in 2D mode evaluation
   • 18 March 2019
   • Guidance
7. Siemens Revelation digital breast tomosynthesis evaluation
   • 13 March 2019
   • Guidance
8. Breast screening: GE Senographe Pristina DBT system evaluation
   • 18 January 2019
   • Guidance
9. Breast screening: Siemens Mammomat Inspiration VB60
   • 18 December 2018
   • Guidance
10. Breast screening: IMS Giotto Class DBT system
    • 12 November 2018
    • Guidance
11. Breast screening: Fujifilm AMULET Innovality DBT system
    • 7 March 2018
    • Guidance
12. Breast screening: technical evaluation of Fujifilm Innovality
    • 24 February 2017
    • Guidance
13. Breast screening: Siemens Inspiration PRIME mammo
    • 29 March 2016
    • Guidance
14. Breast screening: technical evaluation of Philips MicroDose SI Digital mammo
    • 1 February 2016
    • Guidance
15. Breast screening: technical evaluation of GE SenoClaire DBT system
    • 29 January 2016
    • Guidance
16. Breast screening: Siemens Mammomat Inspiration DBT
    • 1 January 2015
    • Guidance
17. Breast screening: Hologic Selenia Dimensions DBT
    • 1 August 2014
    • Guidance

Equipment practical evaluations

1. Breast screening: Siemens Mammomat Revelation evaluation
   • 12 August 2020
   • Guidance
2. Breast screening: IMS Giotto Class evaluation
   • 12 August 2020
   • Guidance
3. Breast screening: GE Healthcare Senographe Pristina DBT System
   • 21 April 2020
   • Guidance
4. Breast screening: GE Healthcare Senographe Pristina 2D system
   • 2 March 2020
   • Guidance
5. Breast screening: Siemens Inspiration PRIME system
   • 2 March 2020
   • Guidance
6. Breast screening: Hologic 3Dimensions in 2D mode
   • 9 December 2019
   • Guidance
7. Breast screening: Fujifilm Amulet Innovality DBT system evaluation
   • 9 December 2019
   • Guidance
8. Breast screening: Hologic Affirm Prone Biopsy System
   • 27 March 2019
   • Guidance
9. Breast screening: practical evaluation of Fujifilm Innovality
   • 24 February 2017
   • Guidance
10. Breast screening: practical evaluation of Philips MicroDose SI Digital mammo
    • 15 March 2016
    • Guidance
11. Breast screening: practical evaluation of GE SenoClaire DBT system
    • 29 January 2016
    • Guidance
12. Breast screening: Hologic Affirm DBT biopsy system
    • 30 December 2015
    • Research and analysis
13. Breast screening: Hologic Selenia Dimensions DBT system
    • 1 July 2014
    • Guidance

Published 1 June 2015
Last updated 12 August 2020 + show all updates

1. 12 August 2020

   Added Hologic 3Dimensions in tomosynthesis mode, Siemens Mammomat Revelation evaluation and IMS Giotto Class evaluation.

2. 17 July 2020

   Added Issuing provisional or verbal pathology reports to Good practice in breast screening section.

3. 10 July 2020

   Added new guidance on overseas recruitment for local breast screening services.

4. 28 April 2020

   Added GE Healthcare Senographe Pristina DBT system evaluation.

5. 2 March 2020

   Added Siemens Inspiration PRIME system and GE Healthcare Senographe Pristina 2D system.

6. 10 February 2020

   Added link to guidance on opting out of breast screening.

7. 9 December 2019

   Added Fujifilm Amulet Innovality DBT and Hologic 3Dimensions in 2D mode system practical evaluations.

8. 21 June 2019

   Added 'Breast screening: transferring specimens between laboratories' document.

9. 20 February 2019

   Added 'Breast screening: failsafe batches' to Programme Guidelines section.

10. 28 January 2019

    Addition of guidance for clinical nurse specialists to document collection

11. 18 January 2019

    Added 'Breast screening: GE Senographe Pristina DBT system evaluation' report.

12. 18 December 2018

    Added 'Breast screening: Siemens Mammomat Inspiration VB60' to Equipment Technical Evaluations list.

13. 21 November 2018

    Added 'Breast screening programme: supporting women with learning disabilities'.

14. 12 November 2018

    Added 'Breast screening: IMS Giotto Class DBT system'.

15. 5 November 2018

    Addition of new guidance on leading a breast screening programme to document collection

16. 22 October 2018

    Addition of new ergonomics in mammography guidance to document collection.

17. 8 October 2018

    Addition of Breast screening: how to record vacuum-assisted excisions to document collection

18. 7 March 2018

    Added technical evaluation of the Fujifilm AMULET Innovality digital breast tomosynthesis system.

19. 20 December 2017

    Added out-of-area guidance and duty of candour toolkit to collection.

20. 23 October 2017

    Added 'Breast screening: radiation risk with digital mammography' to new 'research and reviews' group.

21. 9 August 2017

    Added interval cancer guidance and programme specific operating model.

22. 12 April 2017

    Added implants imaging guidance and consolidated standards.

23. 31 August 2016

    Added arbitration guidance.

24. 29 March 2016

    Technical evaluation of Siemans Inspiration PRIME mammography system added.

25. 29 January 2016

    Added digital tomosynthesis system evaluation.

26. 30 December 2015

    Added 2 new documents under equipment.

27. 5 October 2015

    Added previously-published quality assurance documents to breast screening professional guidance.

28. 1 June 2015

    First published.