Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Breast Screening

Tuesday 6 October 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Women at greatest risk of breast cancer continue to be prioritised for screening.
  • The NHS has reduced the backlog of delayed breast screening appointments from over 468,000 in June to under 52,000 in September.
  • Efforts are focused on ensuring every woman has access to a cancer nurse specialist, despite a slight decline in availability.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Kim Johnson Lab Liverpool Riverside
NHS
Context

During the peak of the pandemic, breast screening appointments were paused. Breast Cancer Now estimated that over 986,000 women missed their mammograms due to this pause.

Question

What steps have been taken to ensure the continuation of breast screening during the covid-19 outbreak? Women at greatest risk continue to be prioritised for screening but a significant backlog of delayed appointments existed. How are these gaps being addressed?

Answer from Jo Churchill

Women at greatest risk of breast cancer continue to be prioritised for screening. The NHS has significantly reduced the backlog of delayed breast screening appointments from over 468,000 in June to under 52,000 in September. All services have now been restarted and women are urged to attend their screening when invited.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide details on addressing the backlog beyond stating it has reduced.

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Q2 Kim Johnson Lab Liverpool Riverside
NHS
Context

Macmillan Cancer Support highlighted a gap in the availability of specialist breast cancer nurses, impacting patient care.

Question

Breast screening appointments were paused during the pandemic. Breast Cancer Now estimates that over 986,000 women missed their mammograms leading to potential undetected cases. What steps are being taken to address this and the gap in specialist breast cancer nurses?

Answer from Jo Churchill

Cancer nurse specialists are a priority, identified in the long-term plan as essential for personalised care. Despite a slight decline in availability from 91% to 89%, efforts are focused on ensuring every woman has access to a cancer nurse specialist. The ambition is to deliver this promised personalized care.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific steps or timeline for addressing the shortage of specialists.

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