Breast Cancer: Screening
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the testing and expansion of alternative pathways into breast clinics and ensuring that younger women can utilise these.
Answered by Mrs Sharon Hodgson
Ensuring that people with breast symptoms have timely access to diagnostic services and clinics is a priority for the Government. Through the National Cancer Plan, we are rolling out breast pain clinics nationally by the end of 2026, helping provide alternative pathways for people at risk of cancer while ensuring urgent diagnostic services remain available for those who need them most.
We will continue to empower cancer patients and provide them with more opportunities to act on risks to their health. We are already testing the use of NHS 111 Online and the NHS App for self-referral to suspected breast cancer pathways, helping to streamline access to diagnostic services and reduce delays. These pilots are intended to make it easier for people with concerning breast symptoms, including younger women who are not routinely invited for breast screening, to access appropriate assessment and referral.
In the future, our vision is that every neighbourhood will provide proactive, specialist, and preventative women's health care that complements and extends the primary care offer, directly delivering intermediate care services and leading population prevention within neighbourhoods, including preconception health, contraception, and screening services.
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