A statement with a breast cancer screening scandal update has been sent to parliament by Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, last week.
It’s understood that some 450,000 women never received their appointment, and in the latest update, Mr Hunt confirms that almost 270,000 women have now received appointments.
Mr Hunt also suggests that the NHS is on track to have the full schedule of screening completed by the end of October this year.
About the NHS breast cancer screening scandal
The NHS breast cancer screening scandal came as a huge shock to the nation when it was discovered that a simple IT glitch meant that thousands of women aged between 68 and 71, from 2009 onward, did not receive their invitation for breast cancer screening. As a result of the letters not going out, vulnerable women were not afforded the chance for a potentially life-saving screening appointment, and many women have since died from the deadly disease.
The scandal has triggered a huge drive to get the women who did not receive their invitation in for breast cancer screening as soon as possible.
Latest statement
The latest statement goes on to further clarify the previously estimated figures as to women potentially affected by the breach cancer screening scandal.
Mr Hunt says:
“I can now confirm, based on analysis by Public Health England, using data provided by NHS Digital that up to 174,000 women were affected by this issue, of which we know that up to 130,000 are still alive.”
He also outlines developments in the independent investigation that is set to investigate how the breast cancer screening scandal happened, and with the view to making sure there will never be a repeat of this scandal again.
One simple IT glitch has potentially cost the lives of many women. Mr Hunt went on to apologise again for the scandal, saying: “I would like to repeat my wholehearted and unreserved apology to the women affected and their families.”
The Injury Lawyers’ specialist Medical Negligence Compensation Team are available for victims or families of victims for advice about legal options.
