However nearly three-quarters of a million women (748,233) still didn’t attend a screening appointment in 23/24, with almost one in four first-time invitees not acting on their invite.
The new data shows breast screening uptake among those invited in 2023-24 also improved to 70.0% – an increase from 64.6% in 2022-23 – the first time the NHS has hit its acceptable target for breast screening uptake since before the pandemic.
While the number of women up to date with breast screening in England is at its highest, the proportion of eligible women being screened is still slightly lower than pre-pandemic (74.6% in 2019).
‘The NHS is catching more cancers than ever before at an earlier stage, when treatment has the best chance of success, and increasing uptake of breast screening is absolutely vital in helping us achieve that,’ said NHS national cancer director Dame Cally Palmer.
‘We know there are a range of reasons why some women don’t respond to breast screening invitations, which is why our newly launched campaign directly communicates the enormous benefits of attending screening – including offering peace of mind by giving you knowledge of your own health – to women.’
Two and a half million women were invited to book a check-up in the last year, with 1.75 million attending the screening. Thirty per cent of women did not attend their screening appointments following an invitation, increasing to 37.5% of women who were being invited for the first time.
Across England in 2023-24, almost 70,000 women (68,664) were referred for further checks following screening, and as a result 16,677 women had a cancer detected, which may not have been diagnosed and treated until a later stage. Of the 16,677 diagnosed cancers, 79.1% were invasive.
NHS estimates suggest that if screening attendance could be improved to 80% of those eligible next year (2025/26), nearly a million more women (around 925,000) could be screened, compared to 2022/23 – with over 7,500 additional breast cancers detected at an earlier stage, when they are more treatable.
‘It’s really encouraging that more women took up their invitation to breast screening compared with last year, but there is still much more to do to reach more eligible women and encourage them to come forward,’ said NHS Director of Screening Michelle Kane.
‘This is why the NHS has launched its first ever national breast screening campaign, which aims to address any misgivings and misconceptions women may have about breast screening.’