Nurses from Bolton NHS Foundation Trust have received national recognition for their involvement in delivering breast screening workshops to ladies with learning disabilities across Greater Manchester.
The ‘Let’s Talk Boobs’ project, led by Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, was named a regional champion for Improving Health Outcomes at the 2026 NHS Excellence Awards.
Developed and delivered by NHS teams across Greater Manchester, the initiative aims to help women with learning disabilities feel more confident about breast health and screening and being able to spot the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust’s Cancer Screening Improvement Lead, Naomi Duff, helped to deliver the workshops across Bolton, Bury and Rochdale, alongside Community Learning Disability Nurses Sherell Ahmed and Gill Finnigan.
Naomi said:
“To be recognised for this work feels both humbling and deeply rewarding. It’s not just about acknowledgment, it’s seeing the real difference you’re making to the lives of women who are often overlooked or face a number of barriers to care.
“Through the project we have managed to change the way women feel about attending cancer screening and being breast aware. For many people cancer screening can feel intimidating, confusing and even frightening, but by creating the workshops that were accessible and engaging we helped to transform the fear into curiosity and empowerment, reducing anxiety and fear.
“Cancer is usually associated with loss and distress, often shaped by personal experiences and media stories, but seeing the ladies openly ask questions, have fun and laugh showed that although it was an educational session, they were processing the information in a way that they understood and left the workshops feeling empowered to regularly check their chests for changes and to see their GP to get checked.
“The whole project showed that thoughtful, inclusive approaches can help to reduce barriers to screening and health inequalities and can genuinely change a person’s experience and health outcome.”
A report by the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership found the North West has the highest percentage of avoidable deaths for people with learning disabilities, whilst cancer is the third highest cause of death in Greater Manchester.
The workshops aimed to tackle health inequalities by promoting breast health awareness and self-examination, education about what cancer is, the importance of breast screening and what the screening journey looks like.
Understanding of breast cancer and screening increased substantially after attending a workshop:
- 9 in 10 of those who attended reported knowing what breast cancer is, up nearly 36%.
- 88% of women said they would attend a breast screening, an increase of nearly 50%.
- Attitudes towards breast screening also became more positive.
An awards ceremony showcasing the outstanding work taking place across the NHS and to celebrate the winners will be taking place in Manchester on Wednesday 10 June 2026.
