A mobile NHS breast screening unit is in the Sainsbury's car park on Hitchin Road until August 2027. Missed an appointment? Rebook on 01582 497599.
Women in Stevenage who are due breast screening can now have it done in the Sainsbury’s car park on Hitchin Road. A mobile breast screening unit has been parked there recently and will stay until August 2027, apart from a break during December, Hertfordshire County Council said today.
Screening at the unit is by appointment only. Anyone who has missed or put off an appointment can rebook through the Beds and Herts breast screening service, which is run by Bedfordshire Hospitals Foundation Trust, or by calling 01582 497599.
The council’s public health team is using Breast Cancer Awareness Month to push the numbers up. Hertfordshire does better than both the regional and national averages, the council says, but more than one in four eligible women in the county were not up to date with breast screening in 2025.
County leaders visit on Friday
Sarah Perman, Hertfordshire’s Director of Public Health, and Dr Allison Wren, the county councillor for Harpenden Rural and Deputy Executive Member for Public Health and Community Services, will visit the unit on Friday 30 October from 11am to noon. Dr Justin Daniels, Medical Director of East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust, other trust staff and the breast screening service will be there too.
The visit is for the media and partner organisations, not a drop-in session for the public, so there is no point turning up without an appointment.
Ms Perman said the unit made screening easier to reach:
“The mobile unit gives people who are due breast screening a convenient local place to attend. We are grateful to Sainsbury’s for hosting the unit and helping to make breast screening available in such an accessible Stevenage location. Screening can find breast cancers before they can be seen or felt, so please make time to attend when invited. It’s also important to check your breasts regularly, know what is normal for you, and contact your GP promptly if you notice any change that is unusual for you.”
Dr Wren said a site in town could help people who struggle to find the time:
“Having this service in a convenient Stevenage location can make it easier to attend, particularly for people balancing work, caring responsibilities and other pressures.”
Dr Daniels said the trust wanted its own staff to take up their invitations:
“NHS staff spend their working lives caring for others, and it can be easy to put their own health aside. We support eligible colleagues in making time to attend screening when invited.”
What the screening involves
Breast screening uses mammography, low-dose X-rays that can find cancers too small to see or feel. Finding a cancer earlier may mean simpler treatment and may lead to better outcomes, the council says.
According to the NHS, everyone registered with a GP as female gets a first invitation between the ages of 50 and 53, then one every three years until their 71st birthday. Women aged 71 or over are not invited automatically but can still ask to be screened every three years.
What it means for you
- If you have an invitation: go. The unit is in the Sainsbury’s car park on Hitchin Road, Stevenage, SG1 4AE, until August 2027, except in December.
- If you missed or postponed an appointment: rebook at bhbss.nhs.uk or call 01582 497599.
- Do not turn up without a booking: the unit sees people by appointment only.
- Between screenings: check your breasts regularly and see your GP promptly about any change that is unusual for you.
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