Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the uptake of breast screenings in Wigan constituency.

In the Wigan locality the Cancer Screening Improvement Lead (CSIL) has undertaken a wide range of activities and interventions to increase the uptake of breast screening. Some examples of the work being undertaken in Wigan include:

- general practitioner (GP) practice visits and training sessions for practice staff in line with the screening round plan. On-going work with GP Practices to contact non-responders/DNAs. Sharing list of DNAs with GP Practice;

- practices who have received a visit around the time their patients are due to be called have seen an improvement in uptake from one to 17% when compared to the previous screening round;

- targeted intervention with the lowest performing practice in Wigan by sending postcards to non-responders to ascertain the barriers to attendance, including information on how to rebook an appointment. This has resulted in at least a 3% increase in attendance compared to the previous screening rounds;

- additional training sessions to Primary Care Network Nurses and new GP assistants;

- a number of interventions to support patients with learning difficulties to access screening;

- work with local community groups, e.g., Women’s Institute, local veteran centre, local parish councils, Wigan and Leigh Council for Voluntary Service, local disability groups, LGBTQ+ groups;

- accompanied a local outreach nurse to visit local sex workers and the gypsy/traveller community; and

- delivered awareness sessions within the community at a variety of venues.

The Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust has also benefited from the additional national £10 million invested in breast screening services and will be receiving an additional static screening unit.