Charity allocated funding to train staff on new tattoo machines.

For women who have undergone surgery for breast cancer, it can be difficult to feel like themselves again.

Thanks to donations, we have funded training for a new breast tattoo practitioner and training for advanced techniques at the Breast Services clinic located at St James Hospital. The team aimed to enhance the patient experience by providing advanced nipple tattooing services to individuals who had undergone surgery for breast cancer.

To modernise their service, the team sought funding from Leeds Hospitals Charity for training on tattoo machines to equip the team with the skills required to utilise the latest techniques effectively. This training is crucial to maintaining the service's continuity and ensuring it can be provided every week of the year. 

The Breast Services team at St James Hospital provide a vital service to patients, seeing 16-20 individuals per month during one clinic per week. The service focuses on delivering nipple tattooing for those who have undergone breast cancer surgery, particularly reconstruction or other breast-altering procedures.

Over the last 12 months, approximately 120 women have benefitted from the nipple tattooing procedure. Each woman has 2 episodes of tattooing, so this in total means that the team have delivered up to 240 episodes. The funded training facilitates the ongoing success of succession planning and ensures the continuity of this crucial service here at Leeds Teaching Hospitals. 

Sue Callum, Advanced Clinical Practitioner on the unit said, “For many of our patients losing the breast impacts significantly on a woman's psychological well-being after undergoing surgery for breast cancer. Thanks to funding from Leeds Hospitals Charity, we’ve been able to train additional staff to tattoo an impression of a nipple or areole for those who have had reconstruction or breast altering surgery. The training gives great continuity to the service.”

 The team recognised the great value their service held for patients, considering it an important part of their oncology treatment. Nipple tattooing was proven to enhance the appearance of the treated breast, significantly improving patients' quality of life and mental health outcomes.