The National Screening Service’s (NSS) population-based screening programmes BreastCheck, CervicalCheck, BowelScreen and Diabetic RetinaScreen were temporarily paused in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
These measures aligned with the National Public Health Emergency Team’s (NPHET) recommendations which have as their goal to minimise the spread of COVID 19. In making this decision, the health, wellbeing and safety of screening service users and staff is the priority for the NSS.
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented interruption to normal health services both in the community and acute hospitals. Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, the NSS has monitored the feasibility of restarting the four programmes.
As such, I am pleased to inform you that the phased resumption of the NSS population screening programmes has started as part of the HSE overall plan to resume its health services that had been paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic. CervicalCheck began sending invites and reminders to participants in its cervical screening programme on the 06 of July, Diabetic RetinaScreen will also resume screening in July. BreastCheck and BowelScreen will resume screening in September/October.