Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 February 2022
766. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to deal with the backlog in the BreastCheck national breast cancer screening programme; the reasons women under 50 years of age are not included in the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4905/22]
View answerI am fully committed to supporting our population screening programmes which are a valuable part of our health service, enabling early treatment and care for many people, and improving the overall health of our population.
BreastCheck screening appointments are currently delayed by up to one year due to the impact of COVID-19 and the pausing of services for a time during 2020 and early 2021. It normally takes about 2 years to get through a breast screening round, it will now take approximately 3 years to get through this current screening round. Importantly this is still within international norms, as countries such as England only screen every 3 years. The programme is prioritising people who would have been delayed due to COVID-19. BreastCheck aim to return to screening women every 2 years as soon as possible.
It is important to remember that screening is for healthy people without symptoms. If anyone becomes aware of symptoms, or if they have concerns or worries, they should contact their GP who will arrange appropriate follow-up care. It is important that every woman is breast aware. This means knowing what is normal for them so that if any unusual change occurs, they will recognise it. The National Screening Service and BreastCheck have useful information in relation to self-checking breasts on their website.
The Government provided €10 million additional funding to the HSE for Cancer Screening in 2021, many of the new developments being funded will help increase capacity and enable the management of screening service users with deferred appointments due to COVID-19. This includes three new mobile screening units for BreastCheck, one of which is now operational in Roscommon since October 2021. The other two mobiles are expected to arrive in the near future.
Regarding extending the age of eligibility for BreastCheck, I am pleased to inform that, in line with commitments in the Programme for Government, BreastCheck are now implementing the commitment on age-extension so that all women aged between 50 to 69 years are invited for routine breast screening.
Future decisions about changes to our national screening programmes, including changes to the age range, will be made on the advice of our National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC). This independent expert group considers the evidence for changes in a robust and transparent manner. The Committee’s role is to undertake an independent assessment of the evidence for screening for a particular condition against internationally accepted criteria and make recommendations to me accordingly. This ensures policy decisions are informed by the best available evidence and advice. In this regard I am pleased to advise the NSAC recently held its first 'Annual Call' for submissions from the public on new screening programmes, or proposed changes to existing programmes. I look forward to updates and recommendations from the NSAC when they have concluded their consideration of the proposals received.
Your query regarding BreastCheck activity is also a service matter and therefore has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to you with further details.
