Cancer is one of the most common diseases in the UK, and unfortunately over 160,000 people in the UK die from it every year. The chances of recovery are however much higher if the cancer is detected early on, hence the importance of ‘screening’.
Often, no one is to blame for a delay in diagnosis; but sadly, sometimes things go wrong. In this post, we take a look at the latest news regarding a delay in breast cancer screenings.
450,000 Women Affected by NHS Fail
As you get older, the risk of developing breast cancer increases. This is why the national breast screening programme invites more than 2.5 million women, who are registered with a GP and aged between 50 and 71 years of age, for a screening every 3 years, with around 2 million women taking up the offer.
The screenings use an X-ray called a mammogram that can spot tumours – even when they’re too small to see or feel. As around 1-in-8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their life, it is imperative it is detected early as the treatment is more likely to be successful.
Recent headlines have revealed that up to 450,000 women, aged 68-71, have failed to be sent invitations for screenings since 2009.
According to the Health and Social Care Secretary, Mr Hunt, the fault lies with a computer algorithm which began in 2009 and was spotted in January this year by Public Health England (PHE) after an upgrade to the breast screening invitation IT system.
It was then escalated to ministers by PHE following an urgent clinical review, where they advised the government not to make it public, to ensure no extra pressure was put on the existing screening services.
PHE discovered that there were problems with the IT system for screening invitations for women on the Age X trial, and those waiting for routine screening appointments. On top of this, it was found that even some local services hadn’t invited anyone for their final screen in the 3 years before they turned 71. Apparently, Scotland has a different system, and although Wales and Northern Ireland have a similar one, they do not appear to have been affected.
It is still not known whether the delays in screenings are directly responsible for any deaths, but it has been reported that up to 270 people may have died as a result and that an estimated 480,000 women may be impacted.
What Actions Are Being Made in Response to this Failure?
The NHS intend to contact those affected by the failure, provided they are registered with a GP and remain in the UK, by the end of this month. They confirm that anyone who does not receive a letter by the end of May is unlikely to have been affected.
Women under the age of 72 will receive an appointment, and those over the age of 72 will be offered access to a helpline which will help them decide if an appointment will be beneficial to them.
The Health and Social Care Secretary has said that ‘best endeavours’ would be made to contact the families of women who missed their scan and subsequently died of breast cancer, and a process will be set up to discover whether the missed scan was the likely cause of death, and if compensation is payable.
Mr Hunt is launching an independent review into the ‘serious failure’, which will look at how many people it has impacted, why it has happened, and what can be done to prevent recurrence. It will also look at why the failure was detected by IT systems earlier, and if there were warnings that should have been picked up earlier.
The review will be chaired by the Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, Lynda Thomas, and Professor Martine Gore, from the Royal Marsden Hospital.
As can be imagined, the news of this system failure has been reacted to angrily. Patricia Minchin told the BBC that her ‘traumatic journey’ could have been ‘avoided’ if it wasn’t for the screening invitations failure. She was tested in 2009 at the age of 67, but was never invited back for a second screening. In 2015, she found three lumps in her breast, two of which ‘had obviously been growing for some time’.
Brian Gough lost his wife to cancer in 2015, but told the BBC that she might have survived if her cancer had been discovered earlier.
It is not yet clear what recourse by way of financial compensation those affected will have as a result, however it has been suggested that this mistake could cost the NHS in the region of £100m in compensation.
Due to the nature of the ongoing investigation, it is likely to take some time before all details become clear, however, we will of course keep you updated as more details emerge.
Have You Missed Out on Recommended Mammograms?
If you feel you’ve been a victim of a delay in cancer diagnosis and wish to register your interest in potentially seeking a claim please give our experienced medical negligence team a call today on 02920 40 40 20.
