Thank you for contacting me about breast cancer.
Please be assured that every effort is being made to continue raising awareness of breast cancer and to improve the treatment of all those diagnosed with this disease.
Reducing waiting times for cancer treatment, including for breast cancer, is an urgent priority for the Government. As part of the 2021 Spending Review, £2.3 billion was allocated to improve diagnostic capacity over the next three years. This will be supported by the Government’s '10-Year Cancer Plan,' a new vision outlining how the UK will lead the world in cancer care.
The Government is committed to ensuring that as many people as possible referred by their GP have a diagnosis within 28 days, meeting the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) and joint awareness campaigns with patient groups like Breast Cancer Now. The Government is also establishing at least 160 Community Diagnostic Centres, which will be one-stop-shops for checks, scans and tests, helping those with suspected breast cancer to access earlier diagnostic tests closer to home.
The NHS’s Breast Screening Programme in England offers all women between the ages of 50 and 70 the opportunity to be screened every three years for breast cancer. These screenings play a key part in the early diagnosis of breast cancer, which is central to the Government’s ambition of achieving world-class cancer outcomes. To improve uptake, NHS breast screening providers are using text message reminders and contacting women who have missed appointments or not accepted.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.