Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to require breast cancer screening invitations to include an appointment time.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, timed appointments were no longer deemed feasible for the recovery of services, based on expert opinion. Services moved to an ‘open appointment’ system where women contacted services to agree a time slot suitable for them.

All services have now recovered, and some have returned to the timed appointments. Several services have retained an open system as they have noted increased uptake and patient satisfaction.

NHS England have commissioned a series of national evaluative projects being led by Professor Stephen Duffy and his team at Queen Mary’s University of London, to provide evidence to inform NHS England on the most appropriate invitation methodology to underpin future pathway changes and improvements in the national screening programme. These are due to report March 2024.