Thousands of women across East Yorkshire miss “vital” breast cancer screenings

Thousands of women across East Yorkhire were not up to date with potentially life-saving cancer checks last year, figures show.
NHS England figures show a 44% fall in the number of women who were screened for the disease nationally in 2020-21. Photo: PA ImagesNHS England figures show a 44% fall in the number of women who were screened for the disease nationally in 2020-21. Photo: PA Images
NHS England figures show a 44% fall in the number of women who were screened for the disease nationally in 2020-21. Photo: PA Images

An “alarming” drop in breast cancer screenings across England is a reminder of the devastating impact Covid-19 has had on cancer care and diagnosis, charities say.

NHS England figures show a 44% fall in the number of women who were screened for the disease nationally in 2020-21, while the number who had cancers detected via screening fell by more than a third in the same period.

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The screening programme sees women aged between 50 and 71 invited every three years to undergo a mammogram (X-ray) designed to detect cancers that are too small to see or feel.

The data shows that 69% of eligible women in the East Riding were up to date with their screenings at the end of March last year, meaning roughly 14,191 were not.

That proportion was down from 80% the year before.

It meant health services in the area narrowly missed the national minimum target of 70% coverage.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive of charity Breast Cancer Now, warned that hundreds could die over the next decade due to the impact of the pandemic on screenings. They were seriously impacted by pandemic-related disruption and were paused between March and June 2020 to protect patients and staff from the virus, before resuming that summer.

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Self-isolation and shielding is also believed to have had an impact on attendances throughout the pandemic.

Professor Stephen Powis, NHS medical director, said: “The pandemic inevitably had an impact on some routine services and we know that fewer people came forward for cancer checks.

“The NHS is now inviting more people than ever to be screened, while investing a further £70 million to support screening services, which we know saves thousands of lives.”