Birmingham City Hospital given skin-toned soft prostheses

Veronica Kumata (left) from Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer has donated 80 softies to Birmingham City Hospital

A charity has donated soft-prosthetics in a variety of skin tones for women who have undergone a mastectomy.

Veronica Kumata, of Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer, has donated 80 "softies" to Birmingham City Hospital.

Mrs Kumata said the idea came after a friend was given a prosthetic that did not match her skin.

She said going through breast cancer was already hard enough and not having the right skin tone was "just another awful thing to be concerned about".

A softie is a fabric-covered temporary prosthesis which is given to women after surgery while their wound heals.

The softie is a fabric-covered temporary prosthesis worn after a mastectomy

The softies donated were in shades cinnamon, latte and cafe, Mrs Kumata said, whose charity is based in Bromsgrove.

Helen Taylor, a Macmillan nurse in the hospital's breast unit, said that before the donations women could only be provided with one in a single beige colour, as the supplier they use doesn't offer any variations.

The donations were a "huge step for our patients and something we are all striving for here to provide a better service", she said.

The hospital would now be looking at how they can progress things on a more permanent basis, she added.

Dee Mattoo said it is less embarrassing for women if the softies match their skin tone

Dee Mattoo, 44, who underwent a mastectomy in 2013 at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, said that while the softies are great as they are comfortable while the wound heals, "they have a mind of their own".

"They move when you move... they'll pop up on your neck line and you won't even notice it has, so if it isn't the right colour it really stands out," she explained.

"If it had been the right colour, it would have taken some of the embarrassment out of it."

Worcester Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said they now stocked all skin tones.

Yvonne Sheldon, from Wolverhampton, was diagnosed in 2002 and underwent surgery at New Cross Hospital.

She was given a softie in a white skin tone but later asked for one in her own skin tone which, at the time, had to be sourced from Germany.

Yvonne Sheldon was diagnosed in 2002 and is shocked that women still have to ask for a softie that matches their skin tone

"It's disgusting actually that people have got to ask," Ms Sheldon said.

"I had one boob of white skin colour and another of black... it brought it home to you when you got undressed, it was so obvious.

"If you're going to have a procedure, it'd be nice if it looks natural for you."

'Not good enough'

With regard to the fact Ms Sheldon asked for one that matches her skin, in 2002, it was "not good enough" a variety of colours is still not available.

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust said while it doesn't currently offer different skin coloured softies because of the supplier they use, they do provide permanent prostheses in a range of tones.

Being able to offer softies in different skin colours is "something we would be interested in exploring, to provide the best service and support to our patients and families across our diverse communities," the trust added.