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Caring for patients with all forms of breast cancer and benign breast problems.
- Address: Maidstone Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital,
What we do
Our Breast Care units are based at Maidstone Hospital (the Peggy Wood Breast Care Centre, Brown Zone) and Tunbridge Wells Hospital (Outpatients, Zone 2).
The units offer specialist services including:
- One-stop clinics led by specialist breast clinicians, aiming to diagnose and treat patients within two weeks of GP referral
- A multidisciplinary team approach to care, with weekly team meetings and key workers allocated to all newly-diagnosed cancer patients
- Image-guided biopsy, digital mammography and breast ultrasound
- Access to breast MRI, PET scans and stereotactic upright and prone biopsy
- Where necessary, access to immediate or delayed breast reconstruction at Maidstone Hospital or in conjunction with surgeons from the Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead
- Joint clinics with specialist breast oncologists, ensuring rapid access to chemotherapy and radiotherapy
- Access to breast care nurse specialist support from the time of diagnosis
- A full range of diagnostic services including comprehensive pathology and tumour immunohistochemistry (ER, PR, HER2, E-Cadherin etc), CT and MR scanners, isotope bone scanning and bone density DEXA scanning
- Family history clinics
- Nurse-led breast pain clinic
- West Kent NHS Breast Screening Programme
Support services
- Breast cancer support groups including groups for younger women and patients with secondary breast cancer
- Counselling service at the Kent Oncology Centre
- Specialist lymphoedema treatment clinics
- Access to volunteer peer support
- Look Good, Feel Better programme (at the Kent Oncology Centre)
- Patient information and resources
- Access to palliative care support and hospice care, where necessary.
Our breast screening service is part of Kent's NHS Breast Screening Programme.
The service screens in the Peggy Wood Breast Unit at Maidstone Hospital and on two mobile breast screening vans that travel to locations in west Kent:
- Sevenoaks
- Tunbridge Wells
- Tonbridge
- Cranbrook
- Larkfield
- Edenbridge
- Maidstone.
Get in touch
- Routine 3-yearly breast screening appointments: 01622 710185
- Breast symptomatic appointments (ultrasounds and mammograms): 01622 225760/1
- Breast family history: 01622 225743
- Breast open access follow up: 01622 224693
- Two-week wait, referred by GP: 01622 224519
Your appointment
If you are between 50 and 70
You will receive a letter asking you to contact us by phone or email to make an appointment. The easiest way to contact us is by email at mtw-tr.bsu@nhs.net
Please do not contact us until you receive this letter.
If phoning, please only leave one message on our answer machine.
If you are over 70
Please phone for an appointment on 01622 710185
For Very High-Risk referrals, email ekhuft.kentbreastvhr@nhs.net
Information for people with learning disabilities
Visiting
Main entrance to Maidstone Hospital
Maidstone Hospital Brown Zone (location of the Breast Care Unit)
Entrance to the Unit
Reception
Waiting area
Mammography room at Maidstone Hospital
Breast screening van
Screening van reception
Screening van waiting area
Screening van changing cubicle
Screening van mammography machine
Our team
Radiology department assistant
Mammographer
Nurse
Consultant radiographer
Links and resources
Breast Cancer Now have a guide to breast awareness and screening. It explains the normal breast changes that can happen at different times in your life and how to be aware of any unusual changes.
Information for men
Information for transgender/non-binary people
Maidstone offers a pathway for transgender/non-binary people eligible for a screening mammogram but not invited.
Call 01622 225760 or 01622 225761