Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 21 June 2022 to Question 16924 on Breast Cancer: Screening, what steps he is taking to incentivise Community Diagnostic Centres to offer of diagnostic mammography services.

£2.3 billion was awarded at the Spending Review in 2021 to transform diagnostic services over the next three years. Most of this will help increase the number of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) up to 160 by March 2025, expanding and protecting elective planned diagnostic services. The remainder of the funding will increase capacity for imaging, endoscopy as well as lung and mammography screening, and improve digital diagnostics. Integrated care systems are responsible for ensuring their patients have adequate access to diagnostic mammography services according to local need.

NHS England has asked all CDCs in geographies with high cancer backlogs to prioritise capacity within imaging and endoscopy to accelerate diagnosis for people currently awaiting diagnostic treatment within the 62 day backlog. Remaining CDC revenue funding is being prioritised for this purpose.