Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is planning to take to (a) develop and (b) maintain (i) national service specifications and (ii) minimum service requirements for the breast screening programme once commissioning of screening is delegated to ICBs.

As set out in the NHS England Board paper of 6 February 2025, it is proposed that the development and maintenance of service specifications and minimum service requirements, quality assurance, and the overall oversight of screening services will remain a national function.

In light of the recently announced organisational changes, a review of screening delegation decisions is being undertaken, alongside other directly commissioned services.

Work is progressing at pace to map functions, appraise options, and inform decision making on where NHS England’s current functions will best sit in the future. There are important choices to be made, and ministers and senior departmental officials are working with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead the formation of a new joint centre.