Jeremy Hunt: 'Inadequate' NHS breast screening responsible for death of nearly 270 women

Health Minister Jeremy Hunt has admitted that up to 270 women in England may have unnecessarily died of breast cancer since 2009, due to the simple error of an IT system which didn’t send out invitations to a final routine breast cancer screening.

An estimated 450,000 women, aged 68-71, were not invited for their final routine invitations because of the glitch.

Apparently, there have been no problems in Scotland with invites, as a different IT system was used. Wales and Northern Ireland have similar systems to those in England, but no issues have been reported.

Speaking in the Commons, the health minister said: “Irrespective of when the incident started, the fact is that for many years oversight of our screening programme has not been good enough.

“Many families will be deeply disturbed by these revelations, not least because there will be some people who receive a letter having had a recent diagnosis of breast cancer. We must also recognise that there may be some who receive a letter having had a recent terminal diagnosis.

“For them and others it is incredibly upsetting to know that you did not receive an invitation for screening at the correct time and totally devastating to hear you may have lost or be about to lose a loved one because of administrative incompetence.

“So, on behalf of the Government, Public Health England and the NHS, I apologise wholeheartedly and unreservedly for the suffering caused.”

In the treatment of breast cancer, early detection is essential, and free screening is offered by the NHS when women reach an age group where they are considered more at risk.

In the UK, women between the ages of 50 and 70 are entitled to free breast screening on the NHS. Women are then invited for screening every three years.

The routine NHS breast screening programme invites more than 2.5m women every year for a test.

Shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, said: “The thoughts of the whole House will be with those whose screening was missed and who sadly lost their lives from breast cancer or who have subsequently developed cancer”.

The first screening is between a woman’s 50th and 53rd birthday, although in some areas they may be invited from the age of 47, as part of the trial extension of the programme, which also sees women up to the age of 73 being tested, according to the NHS Choices website.

It was in January 2018, whilst reviewing the progress of the age extension trial (AgeX), that the issue with invitations for the final screenings was identified by NHS England.

A statement issued on the Government website has declared: “The [IT] fault has now been identified and fixed and women who did not receive their final routine invitation and are registered with a GP are being contacted and offered the opportunity to have a catch-up screen.”

All of these women are to be contacted by the end of May 2018.

The Government has also announced a helpline for those who are weighing up the pros and cons of a mammogram. They can seek advice by calling 0800 169 2692.