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Booking a breast screen

Posted By Jellybeans

"Booking a breast screen"

About: BreastScreen WA

(as a service user),

Saturday appointments for mammograms in Midland are no longer available. Depite the website suggesting that most locations do. These appointments were convenient for those who work Mon- Fri and lived in the area.

Can't get an appointment until June 2026 and they have not released any appointments from last week of July onwards. What a joke! I shouldn't have to be driving for miles to get an appointment.

Suggested I take a sickie as I am unable to book on a Saturday or when I have annual leave!!! Not everyone has plenty of sick leave to use or wants to use their sick leave when they are not sick.

This is worse than getting an appointment for a specialist. Shame on those who think this is a considerate, respectful, practical way to run this "free" service (many of us pay a medicare levy).

Lots of women work and/or have many commitments - booking a mammogram at a time that is convenient should be a lot easier. I tried to get an appointment in February, May, or September and none were available. 

The message this seems to give is that 'Near Enough is Good Enough' for such an important aspect of women's health. The women of Western Australia deserve better


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Responses

Response from Coordinator Support Services, BreastScreen WA, Women & Newborn Health Service, Western Australia last week
Women & Newborn Health Service, Western Australia

Submitted on 5/03/2026 at 12:42 AM
Published on Care Opinion Australia at 10:18 AM

Dear Jellybeans

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. BreastScreen WA is very sorry for the frustration you have experienced trying to book a screening appointment, and we appreciate how important it is for many women to have access to appointments outside standard working hours.

The Midland clinic has a Saturday screening list open twice a month. Unfortunately, we are unable to increase capacity further due to significant workforce shortages affecting several sites across the state. We know this has a real impact on women who rely on weekend appointments, and having more availability is a priority as we continue to recruit and train additional staff.

BreastScreen WA also acknowledges your concern about the limited availability of appointments over the coming months. Our service is in heavy demand, currently screening over 3,000 women each week throughout Western Australia. Many clinics, particularly Saturday clinics, book out very quickly once open for booking. We release appointments in stages to ensure clinics can be staffed safely and consistently. This can be frustrating, especially when you are trying to plan around work and other commitments.

It is never our intention to suggest that women should use sick leave to attend screening, and BreastScreen WA is sorry that this was your experience. We aim to offer a service that is considerate, respectful, and accessible, and we are working hard to improve appointment availability across all clinics, including Midland.

Breast cancer screening is an important part of women’s health, and the women of Western Australia absolutely deserve a service that is easy to access. Your feedback helps us identify where the system is falling short, and it will be shared with our leadership and scheduling teams as we continue to work on expanding capacity.

If you would like assistance finding the earliest available appointment at any of our clinics or mobile units, our Contact Centre team would be very happy to help.

Thank you again for raising your concerns,

BreastScreen WA

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