Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Sir Mike Richards on workforce requirements to support the implementation of breast screening recommendations in the Independent Review of National Screening Programmes in England.

Professor Sir Mike Richards published his interim findings of his Independent Review of Adult Health Screening in May. The Government is considering Professor Sir Mike’s interim recommendations carefully, alongside the recent report on screening published by the Public Accounts Committee, the recommendations made in the Independent Breast Screening Review and the commitments made in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Workforce requirements to support delivery of our national screening programmes are included in scope of Professor Sir Mike’s review, with specific reference to diagnostic capacity and the need to improve uptake and address inequalities. Whilst we await publication of Professor Sir Mike’s final report, Ministers and officials in the Department are continuing to engage with Professor Sir Mike on how to improve effective delivery of our national screening programmes, which includes addressing the workforce requirements.