In a Written Ministerial Statement to the House of Commons yesterday, Parliamentary under secretary of state for public health and prevention, Ashley Dalton, said NHS England had written to 5,261 people who missed screening due to their General Practice registration process not being completed correctly.

Dalton revealed up to 10 patients have been diagnosed with a relevant cancer and were not invited for screening. Sadly, around 10 people who were not invited for screening may have died from a relevant cancer.

The issue affected bowel, breast and cervical cancer screening programmes, as well as abdominal aortic aneurysm screening.

Steve Russell, NHS national director for vaccinations and screening, said: ‘The NHS is contacting 5,261 people who have not been invited for screening due to their GP registration not being fully completed – this issue has now been fixed and everyone affected will be offered support and any catch-up screening as soon as possible, including where they may now be above screening age.

‘We would like to extend our sincere apologies to those affected for this error and any additional worry this may have caused – anyone who is concerned they may have missed an invitation to screening can call our dedicated helpline for support and further information.

‘Around 15m people are invited to NHS screening every year and it is important that everyone eligible can access these life-saving programmes. The NHS has issued guidance to GP practices and integrated care boards to make sure all patient registrations are fully completed and has put in place new measures to ensure all eligible people are invited for screening.'