Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will outline the (a) decision-making process and (b) eligibility criteria used to determine which NHS Trusts received funding for Breast Cancer Screening Units in the financial year 2022-23.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All National Health Service Breast Screening services were eligible for the fund, if there was commitment in agreement with NHS England, to increase breast screening activity and improve efficiencies and programme resilience.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
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 taking to increase the uptake of breast screenings in Wigan constituency.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
In the Wigan locality the Cancer Screening Improvement Lead (CSIL) has undertaken a wide range of activities and interventions to increase the uptake of breast screening. Some examples of the work being undertaken in Wigan include:
- general practitioner (GP) practice visits and training sessions for practice staff in line with the screening round plan. On-going work with GP Practices to contact non-responders/DNAs. Sharing list of DNAs with GP Practice;
- practices who have received a visit around the time their patients are due to be called have seen an improvement in uptake from one to 17% when compared to the previous screening round;
- targeted intervention with the lowest performing practice in Wigan by sending postcards to non-responders to ascertain the barriers to attendance, including information on how to rebook an appointment. This has resulted in at least a 3% increase in attendance compared to the previous screening rounds;
- additional training sessions to Primary Care Network Nurses and new GP assistants;
- a number of interventions to support patients with learning difficulties to access screening;
- work with local community groups, e.g., Women’s Institute, local veteran centre, local parish councils, Wigan and Leigh Council for Voluntary Service, local disability groups, LGBTQ+ groups;
- accompanied a local outreach nurse to visit local sex workers and the gypsy/traveller community; and
- delivered awareness sessions within the community at a variety of venues.
The Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust has also benefited from the additional national £10 million invested in breast screening services and will be receiving an additional static screening unit.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
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 taking to help create convenient, flexible routes into breast cancer screening services.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We have invested £10 million for breast screening programme which will provide 28 new breast screening units to be targeted at areas with the greatest challenges of uptake and coverage, including Wigan. This will provide extra capacity for services to recover from the impact of the pandemic, boost uptake of screening in areas where attendance is low, tackle health disparities and contribute towards higher early diagnosis rates in line with the NHS Long Term Plan.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
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 taking to help ensure women receive timely breast cancer screenings.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Department recognises the importance of timely breast screening, to support this we has invested £10 million for breast screening units to deliver 28 new breast screening units and nearly 60 life-saving upgrades to services, so more women can be checked for signs of cancer, speeding up diagnosis and treatment. We are restoring the NHS Breast Screening programme to pre-pandemic levels continues. The majority of services removed their backlogs of invitations by the end of December 2022, with the remaining services being monitored and supported nationally and regionally. In addition, steps are being taken to remove barriers to attending breast cancer screening such as promoting the use of text message alerts to remind women of upcoming appointments and the roll out local and national media campaigns.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure that funding allocated to breast cancer screening units is not diverted into the symptomatic pathway.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service breast screening services are commissioned with funds which are dedicated to the NHS Breast Screening Programme. The screening pathway at both the initial screening stage, and if further diagnostic testing is required, is conducted in clinics which only accommodate women who have attended invitations from the screening programme. Provision for women with symptoms is funded from other sources and via separate clinics.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
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.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
£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.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 22 February 2023 to Question 48769 on Breast Cancer: Screening, whether his Department requires GP's to introduce text message alerts for all breast screening services.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Invitations and text reminders to attend breast screenings are not sent out by general practitioners. They are sent out through breasts screening units using the national information technology system commissioned by NHS England, which generates invitations.
In line with the NHS Long Term Plan and the Sir Mike Richards Independent Review of National Cancer Screening Programmes in England, NHS England has committed to the promotion of the use of text messages in screening.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
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 taking to encourage uptake of the NHS Breast Screening Programme in (a) Penrith and The Border constituency and (b) Cumbria.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Department and NHS England are committed to the recovery and improvement of screening uptake for breast screening nationally. As part of the Women’s Health Strategy, published in July 2022, £10 million funding was awarded to the NHS breast screening programme. This funding will provide 29 new mobile and static breast screening units as well as upgrades to existing units. Funding is now in place for National Health Service trusts to spend within the 2022/23 financial year
NHS Breast Screening Providers are also being encouraged to work with cancer alliances, primary care networks, NHS England regional teams and the voluntary sector, to bring together work to promote uptake of breast screening and take action to ensure as many people as possible can access services.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
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 19 December 2022 to Question 108144 on NHS: Staff, with which (a) trades unions, (b) medical royal colleges, (c) NHS system leaders, (d) voluntary organisations his Department consulted on the NHS workforce plan.
Answered by Will Quince
The following table shows the organisations that have been engaged. This list is not exhaustive because NHS England and Health Education England leaders and programme teams are also working with external stakeholders and their contribution is also informing the plan’s development.
Trade unions, royal colleges and representative bodies | Regulators | Members of Cancer Charities Group |
Unison | Professional Standards Authority | Alike |
Unite | General Medical Council | AMMF – the cholangiocarcinoma charity |
GMB | Care Quality Commission | Anthony Nolan |
Managers in Partnership | Healthcare and Professions Council | Blood Cancer UK |
British Medical Association | Nursing and Midwifery Council | Bloodwise |
Academy of Medical Royal Colleges | Think tanks | Bone Cancer Research Trust |
Royal College of Nursing | Nuffield Trust | Bowel Cancer UK |
Royal College of Midwives | The Health Foundation | Brain Trust – the brain cancer people |
Royal College of Physicians | The King’s Fund | The Brain Tumour Charity |
Royal College of Surgeons | Regulators | Brain Tumour Research |
Royal College of General Practitioners | Professional Standards Authority | British Liver Trust |
Royal College of Psychiatrists | General Medical Council | Breast Cancer Now |
Royal College of Anaesthetists | Care Quality Commission | Cancer 52 |
Royal College of Pathologists | Healthcare and Professions Council | Cancer Research UK |
Royal College of Ophthalmologists | Nursing and Midwifery Council | CATTS (Cancer Awareness for Teens & Twenties) |
Royal College of Occupational Therapists | Think tanks | Chai Cancer Care |
Royal Pharmaceutical Society | Nuffield Trust | Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group |
Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists | The Health Foundation | CLIC Sargent |
Royal College of Ophthalmologists | The King’s Fund | CoppaFeel! |
Royal College of Emergency Medicine |
| DKMS |
Royal College of Podiatry |
| Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust |
The Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine |
| Eve Appeal |
The Society of Radiographers |
| Fight Bladder Cancer |
Institute of Osteopathy |
| GO Girls Support |
College of Operating Department Practitioners |
| Guts UK |
British Association of Art Therapists |
| Haven House |
British Association of Drama therapists |
| Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust |
British Association for Music Therapy |
| Kidney Cancer UK |
The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists |
| Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce |
British Dietetic Association |
| Leukaemia Care |
British and Irish Orthoptic Society |
| Leukaemia UK |
British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists |
| Lymphoma Action |
College of Paramedics |
| Macmillan Cancer Support |
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy |
| Maggie's – everyone’s home of cancer care |
College of General Dentistry |
| Marie Curie |
Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive healthcare |
| MDS UK Patient Support Group |
Queen’s Nursing Institute |
| Melanoma Focus |
Institute of Health Visiting |
| Melanoma UK |
British Society of Rheumatology |
| Mesothelioma |
The Richmond Group of Charities (including Macmillan Cancer Support, Diabetes UK, Asthma UK, Age UK) |
| Mylenoma UK |
Cancer Charities Group (*see separate list for members) |
| National Cancer Research Institute |
Council of Deans of Health |
| Neuroendocrine Cancer UK |
Medical Schools Council |
| OcuMel UK |
Universities UK |
| Ovacome |
University Alliance |
| Ovarian Cancer Action |
Office for Students |
| Pancreatic Cancer Action |
Skills for Care |
| Pancreatic Cancer UK |
Local Government Association |
| Paul's Cancer Support |
Association of Directors of Adult Social Services |
| Penny Brohn UK |
Social Partnership Forum |
| Prostate Cancer Research |
NHS providers |
| Prostate Cancer UK |
NHS Employers |
| Race Against Blood Cancer |
The Shelford Group |
| Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation |
ICS leaders |
| Salivary Gland Cancer UK |
NHS Confederation |
| Sarcoma UK |
Community Providers Network |
| Shine Cancer Support |
|
| Solving Kids Cancer |
|
| Target Ovarian Cancer |
|
| Teenage Cancer Trust |
|
| Trekstock |
|
| The Joshua Tree |
|
| WMUK – The charity for Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia |
|
| World Cancer Research Fund |
Further discussions will take place before the plan is finalised. This will include engagement with patient representative groups. NHS England can discuss with any organisations interested in the development of the Plan.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
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 taking to help increase the uptake of breast cancer screening in Bradford West constituency.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working with NHS England to finalise the delivery of £10 million for breast screening units, including determining which areas will benefit from this investment.
National Health Service breast screening providers are also encouraged to work with Cancer Alliances, Primary Care Networks, NHS regional teams and the voluntary sector to promote the uptake of breast screening and ensure access to services.