On the official 73rd birthday of the NHS, AAA screening is celebrating its successful collaboration with the Chesterfield FC Community Trust.
AAA screening is an NHS national screening programme which has been running successfully in the Derbyshire area for the last nine years.
Its specific aim is to target all men aged 65 and over. It offers a free appointment for an abdominal ultrasound in order to detect aortic aneurysms, an asymptomatic condition which, when left undiagnosed, can potentially be life-threatening.
The screening programme is a community-based initiative, bringing the service to the community by travelling to 26 different locations all over the county.
Since the start of the COVID pandemic in early 2020, it has become increasingly difficult to gain access to some hospitals and GP practices where clinics had previously been held, due to the restrictions in place.
Helen Hearnshaw, a screening technician for AAA screening, says: “That’s where the Community Trust stepped in and offered us their help. We had been looking for premises, somewhere central in the town, somewhere that most people would know and be able to easily access.
“The Technique Stadium was the perfect solution. It has good parking and easy access for the disabled and now even has a cafeteria, should our patients fancy a coffee after their scan.
“The staff there are lovely and always helpful to any of our patients who might need assistance or directions.
“We hold a clinic on three Wednesdays in every month and attendances have been excellent.
“It seems that during the pandemic, perhaps understandably, some patients preferred to avoid hospitals and GP practices for their routine appointments and so were quite happy to come to the stadium, which is COVID-safe.”
All men aged 65 will automatically receive an invitation for a scan at the Technique or another location close to where they live. Anyone who is eligible who has not previously had a scan can self refer by contacting the AAA screening programme office in Derby on 01332 789859.
