Our policy on screening outreach

1. Encourage participation, among groups with traditionally low uptake

Research suggests that young women, older women, Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups and lower socio-economic groups are less aware of how screening could save their life. There is also evidence of low uptake of screening amongst people with learning disabilities, and some evidence of low uptake amongst lesbians. It is therefore important that people are provided with more information about how they can access cancer screening and that everyone makes a fully informed decision about attendance.

It is important that older women are aware that their risk of breast cancer continues to increase after they reach the upper age limit of the screening programme, and they should be encouraged to consider self-referral for screening once past the age that they are automatically invited.

There are many examples of good practice across the country where people are actively involving more individuals in the screening programmes. Examples of innovative ways of improving uptake could be implemented nationally, or specifically in areas with low uptake.

2. Review the use of incentives to encourage local services to do more to increase participation

Local health service providers also need encouragement to make increasing uptake a priority amongst the many other demands on their time and resources. To make sure that this happens, the Government should assess, as it committed to do in the Cancer Reform Strategy in England, whether appropriate incentives are needed to ensure that top-quality screening programmes are offered to as many people as possible who might benefit.

For example, the national GP contract and the Quality and Outcomes Framework could be altered to provide a greater incentive for GPs to achieve high cervical screening uptake.

3. Fund research into interventions to improve uptake and establish good practice models

Breast and cervical screening services across the UK are recommended to achieve a minimum standard of 80% uptake amongst their local population. Despite recent improvements, we know a number of local areas are not managing to meet this target.

In 2007 Cancer Research UK responded to a London Assembly investigation into low uptake of breast screening services. You can read a copy of our response here.

As the bowel screening programme is rolled out across the UK, we need to monitor uptake and implement initiatives to increase participation, should there be groups and communities not utilising screening services.

4. Help people who have problems accessing healthcare to be screened

Screening is only accessible to people registered with a GP. However, estimates suggest that over three million people in the UK may not be registered with a GP. Action to encourage registration, particularly among populations such as new immigrants, is important. Information could be provided to such communities which details their rights to cancer screening services and also encourages registration with a GP.