Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness and improve self-referral uptake among older women for breast cancer.
Answer
I refer the Hon Member to the answers provided on 20 April in response to Question 126985 , on 30 October in response to Question 36506 , and on 16 July in response to Question 14603 . On the issue of self-referral, women aged 71 years old and over remain entitled to request a breast screening appointment every three years, and we work continually to ensure that awareness of that entitlement is reinforced through National Health Service communications.
Verdict: AMBER (48/100)
The reply clearly confirms that women aged 71 and over can still self-refer for breast screening every three years, and it points to NHS communications as a way of keeping this entitlement in view. It does not, however, set out any specific measure, target or commitment to increase the number of older women who actually take up screening, so that part of the question is only touched on. The person who asked would probably need to follow up to learn what is being done about uptake.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the department doing about raising awareness among older women of breast cancer self-referral for screening | Addressed | Direct | The reply states that women aged 71 and over can still self-refer every three years and that the NHS continually reinforces awareness of this entitlement through its communications, which names a concrete mechanism for raising awareness among older women. |
| What is the department doing about improving the uptake of breast cancer self-referral among older women | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply restates the self-referral entitlement and says awareness is reinforced, but it names no measure or commitment aimed at increasing actual uptake among older women, so the question of how to improve uptake is only touched on. |