Janice Holmes, owner of Janice Rose Lingerie, Sutton-on-Trent, calls on government to help women after breast surgery

A petition calling for a voucher scheme to help women who have had breast surgery is live now after being taken down due to government changes.

Janice Holmes, owner of Janice Rose Lingerie, launched a petition in May last year calling for a government voucher scheme so women can go to specialists for properly fitted bras and prostheses post-surgery.

However, due to the call for a General Election, all the petitions on the website were closed on May 30 as it is part of the official work of Parliament, which had to stop until Labour won a majority in Parliament on July 4.

In December 2024, the House of Commons set up a new petition committee and Janice resubmitted the application.

The petition was re-launched over the weekend and aims to get 100,000 signatures by July 3, which will then be considered for debate in Parliament.

Janice hopes the system could work in the same way as the NHS providing vouchers for wigs, where women can go to a specialist and pick a wig of their choice that will fit their needs and purpose.

The petition is appeal to the government for two vouchers — one for a bra to hold the prosthesis, and another for the prosthesis itself.

The scheme would enable ladies to have more choices as the bra and prosthesis voucher could then be presented to a professional bra fitter from an approved list of trained fitters capable of providing that expertise in a less clinical environment than in a hospital.

With expertise in bra fitting, Janice is highlighting the need for women to get the right-sized bra fitted, as breasts come in different shapes and sizes and the resources available at the NHS aren’t often the right choice.

“This petition will help to support ladies that are newly diagnosed with breast cancer, but ladies in the future,” Janice said.

“Breast cancer will affect somebody in your family that you know, if it's not affecting you personally, it may affect you indirectly with a family member or a friend.

“If we can make that difference by giving ladies a choice, just like they've got a choice about having an NHS wig or a voucher to take it to a wig specialist — however, your hair does tend to grow back. Your breasts do not grow back, therefore we need to do the best we can to make ladies feel valued and listened to, because one size doesn't fit all.

“To have this being talked about now so can help in the long run.”

She says there is an equal need for women who have had breast surgery to get properly fitted bras and prostheses because not only can the surgery affect one’s confidence and self-esteem, but their mental health.

At the moment, there is no voucher system, and many hospitals only have a small selection of prostheses.

“I have ladies who come and they are so emotional that they've had this surgery,” Janice said, “They may have had a double mastectomy, they may have had a lumpectomy but the lump has been taken away and they've still got a bit of breast, but there's no specialist help afterwards.

“But it's not just about the prosthesis, it's about bras in general because there is no education about getting fitted and looking after your shape.”

The team at Janice Rose Lingerie believes that people who have had breast surgery should be able to access suitable post-surgery bras and prostheses in a variety of different shapes and sizes from a vast selection of brands.

People can sign the petition at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/703953.

“This petition is not only for women, it is for men whose family members, such as mums, grandmas, aunties, cousins, sisters and wives can be affected,” Janice added, “People will know somebody that this affects and you never know it may affect you, so this is a step for the future.”