Record breast screening level as NHS campaign urges millions more to take up potentially life-saving invites

A record number of women are up to date with their breast screening yet almost a third of invitees did not attend last year, according to NHS figures published today.

The NHS England annual data shows the number of women who are up to date with their screening (screened within the last three years) has increased to the highest on record (4.61m).

However nearly three-quarters of a million women (748,233) still didn’t attend a screening appointment in 23/24, with almost one in four first-time invitees not acting on their invite.

It comes as the NHS launched its first-ever national campaign to support more women to attend breast screening earlier this week, to help detect thousands more cancers earlier and save lives.

The campaign – supported by leading charity Breast Cancer Now – launched with a new advert across TV, radio and online to highlight that screening can detect any cancers as early as possible, while providing reassurance and relief to millions of women who get the all-clear.

The landmark NHS campaign sees celebrities including Newsnight anchor Victoria Derbyshire, broadcaster and presenter Julia Bradbury, and Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas write ‘unofficial’ invitation letters to women about their personal experiences of screening to reassure them and encourage them to attend. They are joined by fellow cancer survivors, NHS staff and TV doctors in sharing open letters to women invited for screening in a number of moving films.

The new annual data today shows breast screening uptake among those invited in 2023-24 also improved to 70.0% – an increase from 64.6% in 2022-23 – the first time the NHS has hit its acceptable target for breast screening uptake since before the pandemic.

While the number of women up to date with breast screening in England is at its highest, the proportion of eligible women being screened is still slightly lower than pre-pandemic (74.6% in 2019).

Two and a half million women were invited to book a check-up in the last year, with 1.75 million attending the screening. Thirty per cent of women did not attend their screening appointments following an invitation, increasing to 37.5% of women who were being invited for the first time.

Across England in 2023-24, almost 70,000 women (68,664) were referred for further checks following screening, and as a result 16,677 women had a cancer detected, which may not have been diagnosed and treated until a later stage. Of the 16,677 diagnosed cancers, 79.1% were invasive.

NHS estimates suggest that if screening attendance could be improved to 80% of those eligible next year (2025/26), nearly a million more women (around 925,000) could be screened, compared to 2022/23 – with over 7,500 additional breast cancers detected at an earlier stage, when they are more treatable. 

NHS national cancer director Dame Cally Palmer said: “The NHS is catching more cancers than ever before at an earlier stage, when treatment has the best chance of success, and increasing uptake of breast screening is absolutely vital in helping us achieve that.

“We know there are a range of reasons why some women don’t respond to breast screening invitations, which is why our newly launched campaign directly communicates the enormous benefits of attending screening – including offering peace of mind by giving you knowledge of your own health – to women.” 

NHS Director of Screening Michelle Kane said: “It’s really encouraging that more women took up their invitation to breast screening compared with last year, but there is still much more to do to reach more eligible women and encourage them to come forward.

“This is why the NHS has launched its first ever national breast screening campaign, which aims to address any misgivings and misconceptions women may have about breast screening.

“If more women come forward, we can catch thousands of cancers earlier when they are more treatable and ultimately save lives.”

Women registered with a GP are automatically invited for NHS breast screening for the first time between the ages of 50 and 53, then every three years until their 71st birthday – while women aged 71 and over can self-refer for screening.

Breast screening does have some risks. Some women who have screening will be diagnosed and treated for slow-growing breast cancers that may never otherwise have been found or caused them harm. Mammograms also do not always find a cancer that is there, but most people feel the benefits of breast screening outweigh the possible risks.