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Date of release: 5th August 2024

New training aid donated to breast care team

Breast Care Nurses in Wolverhampton can now use a new training aid to help educate women on how to do self-checks thanks to a cancer support group.

Stafford-based Terrible Titties and Other Bitties donated the new training aid, called Bertha, to the Breast Care Team at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.

Debbie Dickson, Clinical Nurse Specialist – Breast Care, said the demonstration model will be used for staff training as well as patient education.

She said: “New members within the team will be able to use the model as a training aid so it will be multi-use.

“We will also use it for patient education on how to self-examine when we do awareness roadshows and events.

“This is the first time we have had a training aid like this, and it is going to be so useful.

“It can be tricky to know how exactly to examine yourself and know what feels normal so this training aid will be so helpful.

“We are so grateful to Terrible Titties and really appreciate the support from them. They are a fantastic group.”

The group also donates comfort boxes for patients having chemotherapy. The boxes contain lip balm, a stress ball, notepad, water bottle and other self-care goodies.

Rachel Millar, a committee member of Terrible Titties, said the breast care team asked for the crucial training aid as one of its wish list items.

She said: “Supporting our local hospitals and making a real difference in our community has always been at the heart of our mission.

“Bertha is no ordinary training aid. She’s designed to be taken out into the community to educate women on how to do breast self-checks, raise awareness, and shatter the stigma around getting those all-important breast exams from medical professionals.

“With Bertha, we hope to break down barriers and encourage more women to take charge of their health.

“We have also bought one ourselves for when we do community awareness events.

“Thanks to the incredible fundraising efforts of our supporters, we are extremely proud to support our local hospitals with essential projects like this. It’s moments like these that remind us of the power of community and the amazing things we can achieve together.”

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement Officer, added: “We are so grateful to Terrible Titties and Other Bitties for this kind donation to help support the importance of education to women around breast self-checks and raising awareness. Their generous donation will help the Breast Care team support our local community even further.”