Thank you to those constituents who invited me to join Breast Cancer Now's parliamentary drop-in event on Wednesday 28th February. I regret that I could not attend as I have in previous years due to other diary commitments.
Please be assured that the Government remains committed to ensuring that breast cancer is diagnosed as early as is possible. As part of the 2021 Spending Review, £2.3 billion was allocated to improve diagnostic capacity over the following three years. Through this investment, Community Diagnostic Centres are being established to provide one-stop-shops for checks, scans and tests, helping those with suspected breast cancer to access earlier diagnostic tests closer to home.
The NHS’s Breast Screening Programme in England offers all women between the ages of 50 and 70 the opportunity to be screened every three years for breast cancer. These screenings play a key part in the early diagnosis of breast cancer and preventing approximately 1,300 women dying each year.
I fully recognise the urgency of Breast Cancer Now's campaign to increase the recovery and uptake of breast screening services so it is particularly disappointing to see the NHS figures for 2022/23 which show a reduction in the number of women who were invited for breast screening and who took up the invitation compared to 2021/22.
In response to these trends, NHS England has developed an internal national plan to improve uptake within the breast screening programme. Over the next few months, NHS England will also be conducting research to better understand the reasons why women do not attend screenings, so that any barriers to uptake can be addressed. These projects are expected to report findings by April 2024.
I understand that several steps are being taken to improve breast cancer screening rates in the United Kingdom. Through the Women’s Health Strategy, £10 million funding has been provided to expand capacity for breast screening through the delivery of 29 new breast cancer screening units, 58 remote access upgrades and nearly 70 life-saving service upgrades.
Finally, I reiterate the NHS call for women to put their health at the top of their to-do list and come forward for breast screening when invited. Early diagnosis gives people the best chance of successful treatment. So please, please, if you’ve been asked, do go and get yourself checked.
