Professor Fidelma Flanagan:

We would always follow public health guidelines regarding what we can do during the pandemic. While our aim is to get back to a two-year programme, we are still in the pandemic and there are still adaptations and restrictions to which we must adhere to keep the process safe. Mammography is a very intimate procedure. It involves close contact between the patient and the radiographer. Most of our women are screened in mobile units, which are enclosed spaces. A significant effort has been made to keep our women safe along with the staff working in these environments. I am happy to say that in the past month, we have screened 15,000 women. We were at that level in September 2019. It will continue to be challenging.