Campaigners calling for the mobile breast screening unit to be brought back to Warminster are urging residents to continue signing a petition as they press NHS England for firm commitments on future decision-making.
The mobile service was withdrawn from Warminster last year after being based at Morrisons car park. The Wiltshire Breast Screening Service cited antisocial behaviour, including people banging on the side of the van during treatment sessions, as one of the reasons for the decision.
Over 1,000 people have signed the petition calling for the reinstatement of the unit in the town, and those leading the campaign want reassurances that any future consultation over the service will not take place without proper engagement with local people.
David Reeves, from the Warminster Area Health and Wellbeing Forum, who has been campaigning with town councillor Liz Lee, said they had been told NHS England would liaise with the town council as planning work begins for the 2028 screening programme.
“While this engagement is welcome, we need to remember the way that NHS England stubbornly defended its 2025 decision using spurious and opaque data, the sources of which they refused to share,” he said.
“We believe that the ladies of Warminster deserve better and we are seeking earlier involvement of Cllr Lee in the setting of the programme and certainly before any decisions on future locations for the mobile unit are made.”
They are also calling for discussions with programme decision-makers to begin around 12 months in advance of future screening rounds, to ensure local concerns are considered at an early stage.
Cllr Lee said the petition remained vital in demonstrating the strength of local feeling.
“As we enter this New Year, I am asking local people to show their strength of feeling about reinstating the mobile breast screening unit back into Warminster before this petition closes, so there is fair and easy access to women of breast screening age in our town,” she said.
She added that early detection saves lives and warned that losing the unit could mean some residents having to travel further, which may not be possible for everyone.
The campaign has the backing of Warminster Town Council, Avenue Surgery, local Wiltshire councillors and Dr Andrew Murrison MP.
To sign the petition, visit https://www.change.org/p/reinstate-the-breast-screening-mobile-service-in-warminster
Pictured: Cllr Liz Lee at the site of the previous breast screening unit
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