Statement: Breast cancer screening: 2 May 2018
2 May 2018 (updated on 2 May 2018)
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Hunt, made a statement on Wednesday 2 May 2018 in the House of Commons on breast cancer screening.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Hunt, informed the House of a serious IT related failure that had come to light in the NHS breast screening programme. The programme is overseen by Public Health England and screens two million each year for women between the ages of 50 and 70.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care went on to state that due to a computer algorithm failure dating back to 2009, an estimated 450,000 women aged between 68 and 71, were not invited to their final breast screening. The Secretary of State announced he is ordering an independent review to establish the clinical impact.
Shadow Secretary of State for Health, Jonathan Ashworth, responded on behalf of the Opposition and welcomed the Secretary of State's candour in questioning why the problem was not picked up earlier and went on to welcome establishment of the inquiry.
- Watch Parliament TV: Statement on breast cancer screening
- Read Commons Hansard: Statement on breast cancer screening
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