Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of regional variation in breast cancer screening uptake, particularly in areas where uptake is significantly below the national average.

This Government is committed to improving the NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHS BSP) and addressing regional variation in uptake.

To improve uptake and address inequalities, this year, NHS England is planning to publish a Breast Screening Programme Uptake Improvement Review.

This will include a review of actions taken at a national level by the NHS BSP so far, as well as setting out where the focus will be going forward, to support local services to drive uptake even further.

The review supports breast screening service providers with national solutions such as:

• introducing digital options for sending out invitations and managing appointments;

• raising awareness of the importance of screening through the media; and

• facilitating learning and gathering evidence to inform programme policy, pathway changes and guidance.

In February 2025, NHS England launched the first ever National Health Service breast screening campaign nationally to widespread media attention. It ran across television, radio, social media, and outdoor advertising during February and March, targeting women of breast screening age, with a focus on those least likely to attend, including younger women, those in deprived areas, ethnic minorities, and disabled women.