WOMEN cancer victims visiting a hospital's breast care clinic are having to undress in areas without proper screening, say health watchdogs.

Community Health Council members in Burnley were shocked to hear lack of facilities for Burnley General's prothesis clinic meant confidential and sensitive patient counselling often took place in corridors with people passing by.

Now concerned CHC members are to press Burnley Health Trust to provide better facilities for the clinic.

"To counsel people in corridors and have people stripping off with inadequate screening is totally unacceptable," member Pat Steel told the council last night. And chairman Coun Frank Clifford added: "It is disturbing that sensitive discussions are taking place in corridors with people moving about. Often they have to search to find rooms to speak in."

The comments follow a presentation to the CHC by Trust breast care specialist Margaret Whittaker.

Coun Clifford said: "Members were very concerned over her difficult working conditions. The service provided by Sister Whittaker is first class, but we want provision made to enable her to do her job in a more sensible way."

CHC member Joan Ryan said the lack of facilities meant Burnley was unable to run a patients' support group at the clinic, similar to one which success fully operates at Airedale Hospital.

"This is a terrible waste of people and talent. People want to help, but Sister Whittaker cannot do anything."

At the earlier presentation, Sister Whittaker underlined the growing demand for the local service, with 160 newly-diagnosed cases of breast cancer every year - a rise of more than 30 per cent in three years.

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