Mentions:
1: Alec Shelbrooke (Con - Elmet and Rothwell) symptoms are abdominal cramps, back pain, severe menstrual cramps, abnormal and heavy bleeding, painful bowel - Speech Link
2: Alec Shelbrooke (Con - Elmet and Rothwell) my fertility (how wrong they were)…Being misdiagnosed with anxiety, depression, IBS, piles, querying bowel - Speech Link
3: Alec Shelbrooke (Con - Elmet and Rothwell) Key stages 3 to 4 include lessons on breast cancer, in collaboration with breast cancer charity CoppaFeel - Speech Link
4: Catherine McKinnell (Lab - Newcastle upon Tyne North) Endometriosis can also cause chronic bowel and bladder-related symptoms. - Speech Link
Asked by: Baroness Merron (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what practical assistance is available for those with a physical or mental condition which prevents them from doing medical tests at home, such as bowel cancer screening, unaided.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of the issues faced by some people with physical or mental health conditions that can make attending a screening appointment, or carrying out a home test, more difficult. Currently, national screening IT systems do not have the facilities to flag conditions for individuals which could make it more difficult to carry out the bowel cancer screening, fecal immunochemical test (FIT) at home. It is therefore recommended that individuals contact their general practice (GP) in these situations, so that GPs can work with the screening provider to arrange further support. For example, carrying out a FIT test at the GP or at home, with the support of a family member or community nurse.
NHS England has started work to improve its national screening IT systems through the Digital Transformation of Screening programme. This will enable screening providers to flag heath issues that may make carrying out a FIT test at home more difficult, and to offer any appropriate support.
Asked by: Mochan, Carol (Scottish Labour - South Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work it is doing to improve the uptake and successful return of bowel screening kits.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
A report recently published by Public Health Scotland on 5 May confirmed that uptake for bowel screening continues to exceed the Healthcare Improvement Scotland standard of 60%. The Scottish Government is aware that continued work is required to improve uptake, and to make the process as straightforward as possible for individuals to complete.
Education and accessible information is one strand of this work. Both the online NHS Inform bowel screening content and the leaflets issued with bowel screening kits have been revised to respond to user feedback on clarity and accessibility. In addition, both the Scottish Government and the NHS will use Bowel Cancer Awareness Month in April to further raise awareness of the importance of bowel screening.
Increasing uptake requires supporting education efforts with a relentless focus on reducing inequalities. The Equity in Screening Strategy was published last year, with a vision for equitable access across the full screening pathway, including in the bowel screening programme. This, in combination with a new Equity in Screening Network, will help NHS Boards to find effective ways to address inequalities in uptake, and increase participation in the bowel screening programme.
Since 2017, the Scottish Government has provided £1 million funding annually to address screening inequalities. Part of this fund has been distributed to NHS Boards, allowing them to support initiatives catering to their specific populations. The remainder of the screening inequalities fund was used for national initiatives, such as the development of the Screening Intelligence Platform (ScIP). This will provide an efficient, single point of access to linkable data from all of the National Screening Programmes, including bowel screening. This will therefore help to inform and support the work of public sector bodies to increase participation in bowel screening.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to (a) trial and (b) roll-out early cancer screening.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In England, early cancer screening is already in place for cervical, breast, and bowel cancer. The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) does not currently recommend screening for prostate cancer due to the inaccuracy of the current best test, called Prostate Specific Antigen. We are providing £16 million of funding to Prostate Cancer UK's £42 million trial, which is aimed at helping us find a way of catching prostate cancer in men as early as possible. The UK NSC is also commissioning evidence for six possible approaches to targeted prostate screening for those at higher risk. The UK NSC will publish its recommendations when complete.
NHS England is responsible for the running of the Targeted Lung Health Check Programme, and its conversion to a nationally rolled out NHS Targeted Lung Cancer Screening Programme by 2030.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of women who (a) have and (b) do not have multiple sclerosis attended (i) cancer screening appointments, (ii) mammograms and (iii) cervical screening appointments in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service screening programmes do not collect data on an individual’s long-term condition, and therefore no data is available on what proportion of women who have multiple sclerosis, participate in cancer screening programmes.
Under the Equality Act 2010, and the Health and Social Care Act 2012, NHS screening providers have a legal duty to make sure screening services are accessible to everyone, including people with long term conditions, who may have issues with access.
The following table provides data on the percentage of coverage for the three cancer screening programmes, breast, cervical and bowel, within the age groups invited for NHS screenings, in England over the last five years:
| 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
Breast Screening – ages 50 to 71 years old | 74.9% | 74.6% | 74.2% | 64.2% | 65.3% | 66.4% |
Cervical Screening – ages 25 to 64 years old | 71.4% | 71.9% | 72.2% | 70.2% | 69.9% | 68.7% |
Bowel Screening – ages 60 to 74 years old | 59.2% | 59.5% | 60.5% | 64.3% | 66.1% | 70.3% |
Note: Data for bowel cancer screening is not separated based on sex.
Mentions:
1: Mountain, Edward (Con - Highlands and Islands) April is bowel cancer awareness month. - Speech Link
2: Yousaf, Humza (SNP - Glasgow Pollok) Edward Mountain’s ask, and I once again pay tribute to him for his efforts in raising awareness of bowel - Speech Link
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2023 to Question 3997 on Incontinence: Health Services, whether her Department plans to engage stakeholders during the course of the National Bladder and Bowel Health Project.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There have been no formal plans for stakeholder engagement set out at this stage. However, the Department remains open to future engagement with bladder and bowel health stakeholders.
Beyond the project in question, the Department continues to engage with stakeholders including commissioners, providers, and clinicians and also cancer charities on Bowel Cancer screening, including a planned meeting with UK National Screening Committee on bowel cancer screening in January 2024.
Jan. 05 2024
Source Page: Digital pathology to improve cancer screening and save livesFound: Digital pathology to improve cancer screening and save lives
Jan. 05 2024
Source Page: Digital pathology to improve cancer screening and save livesFound: Digital pathology to improve cancer screening and save lives
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of reducing the minimum age for bowel cancer screening.
Answered by Will Quince
A recent assessment of reducing the minimum age for bowel cancer screening has been made, and since April 2021 NHS England have gradually reduced the age for screening towards 50 as recommended by the UK National Screening Committee. Inclusion of people aged from 50 to 59 is being phased in over four years. 2024/25 should see the age extension reach 50-year-olds.