Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Monday, 22 January 2024, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 5 February 2024. It was answered by Lord Markham (Conservative) on Friday, 26 January 2024 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Public Accounts Committee report Adult health screening, published on 10 May 2019 (HC 1746), what progress they have made towards the first recommendation contained in that report to publish a plan, with timeframes for action, to explain how they intend to address the health inequalities that exist in breast screening.

Answer

Public Health England published an inequalities strategy in an online-only format in October 2020 aimed at supporting local screening services, commissioners, and others to address inequalities. Accepted recommendations from the 2019 Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on Adult Health Screening have now been implemented, so NHS England no longer reports against the PAC report.

NHS England has developed a national plan to improve uptake within the breast screening programme, including interventions to address inequalities and screening barriers. This includes working to ensure that breast screening appointments are as convenient to people as possible and focusing its efforts on low uptake areas and groups. NHS England is also working to ensure they have data, including on protected characteristics, to support services to deliver more targeted initiatives.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL1801
Session
2023-24
Related items
Subjects
Disadvantaged Breast cancer Screening
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk