PROJECTS to improve breast  screening rates among Plymouth’s minority ethnic and lesbian groups will be launched  thanks to a £50,000 Government cash boost.

Care services minister Phil  Hope today announced NHS Plymouth is one of 18  health trusts nationwide to  have scooped a grant as part of  the Pacesetter initiatives.

Pacesetter, backed with  £5.5million Department of  Health funding over three  years, aim to tackle health inequalities in communities facing discrimination.

In Plymouth, the money will be  used to set up four projects, two  of which will focus breast  screening for black and minority  ethnic (BME) women, and cervical or breast screening for lesbians.

A further two will aim to improving data collection of breast  screening for BME women, and  workforce representation of  BME women.

Yet to be finalised, the schemes  will involve working in partnership with communities to  identify where awareness needs  to be raised and what services  are required.

All four are due to start in  February 2009.

Angela Saxby, NHS Plymouth  equality and diversity manager,  said the projects have been chosen in response to national figures showing lower percentages  of BME and lesbian women take  up screening than women in  general.

She said: “Locally, we have  anecdotal evidence supporting  the figures which show screening is an issue for BME women.  Some of that is around cultural  issues and lack of awareness.

“We need to demystify what  breast screening is – it can be  quite new for people from different cultural backgrounds.”

She added more research needs  to be done to find out why lesbian groups have lower cervical  screening rates.

In 2005 a large scale study,  revealed 43 per cent of women  from BME communities said  they had never checked their  breasts, compared to 11 per cent  of the general population.

The Stonewall’ report, ‘Prescription for Change – Lesbian and  Bisexual women’s health check’,  this year stated 15 per cent of  lesbian and bisexual women  over the age of 25 have never  had a cervical smear test, compared to seven  per cent of women in general.

It also showed that one in twelve  lesbian and bisexual women  aged between 50 and 79 have  been diagnosed with breast cancer, compared to one in twenty  women in general.

Deb Lapthorne, NHS Plymouth  director of public health, said:  “Being named as one of the second wave Pacesetter trusts is  great news.

“The additional money that  comes with this announcement  will enable us to concentrate on  helping disadvantaged people  and groups to get the health  screening they need.”

She said the projects will build  on schemes already in place for  vulnerable groups including the  BME community.

She said: “We will be looking to  maximise our current investment through appointing a specialist public health practitioner  to work alongside our existing  team work who has a specific  focus on BME access to health  screening.”